Romances and Second Chances
by Music Intuition
Summary: Some people like canon shippings. Some people like crack shippings. Here, you can get the best of both! PokeSpe shippings, request inside. Latest: FeralSoul. "The only marks that Ruby will have to hide from anyone after this ordeal are the line of hickeys up and down his shoulder and neck."
1. Introduction

**Romances and Second Chances**

Offering a Variety of Ships for all your Shipping Needs

* * *

_**~ Menu ~**_

* * *

ElectrotherapyShipping - _(VolknerYellow) "Just had my heart broken, nothing unusual."_

SoulShipping_ - (MortySabrina) "It's like you're all blurry around the edges."_

MangaQuestShipping_ - (GoldCrystal) "Well, we'll always mess up some. That's just nature."_

SteelHeartShipping_ - (GreenJasmine) "It seemed as though he was the only one who could rescue her now."_

CommonerShipping_ - (DiaPlatina) '"You just… tell her! You know! With words."'_

ChosenShipping_ - (BlueSilver) "I still remember the look on her face during that silence, that look of stunned embarrassment."_

AmberShipping _- (GoldYellow) "Then, very suddenly, they stopped."_

MangaAdvanceShipping_ - (RedSapphire) "Red was the first to actually ask beforehand."_

MagmaJewelShipping_ - (RubyCourtney) "After all, both the soft and the sharp were the same person."_

PanderShipping_ - (GreenMisty) "Why was he always making the girl he loved run away?"_

SpecialShipping_ - (RedYellow) "Yellow never wanted that night to end."_

ItsumoShipping -_ (RoarkRiley) "They'd only met once, and yet it was like he'd known this guy forever."_

HaughtyShipping - _(PearlPlatina) "Surely he thought she was just an annoyance, just a girl to be protected."_

OldRivalShipping - _(GreenBlue) "His grandfather called it 'character building'. He called it 'miser'ble wet'."_

PerfumeShipping _- (BrockErika) "The 'art of fighting', as so many put it, was not something she enjoyed or supported…"_

FairytaleShipping - _(LanceJasmine) "With a sharp pang, he realized that he felt an emotion toward her, and it was pity."_

DarkStoneShipping _- (GoldPlatina) _"_She winced when she saw that mischievous grin; she knew it meant trouble."_

MizuhikiShipping - _(CyrusCynthia) _"_And suddenly, wreathed in a halo of lamplight, she sat, golden hair glowing like an angel's."_

JadeCrystallineShipping - _(GreenCrystal) "Unlike… well, certain other rude boys she knew, Green held back, avoiding drawing too close."_

PearlBirthstoneShipping - _(BluePearl) "It was hard for him to fall asleep, since he kept picturing those big, excited eyes."_

TeaShipping - _(BillDaisy) "After all, he was so different from her, and yet so similar!"_

IncautiousShipping - _(GoldBianca) "He grinned irrepressibly, and Bianca was struck by the strange similarity. It was a similarity that she found in the mirror every morning…"_

GracefulShipping - _(WallaceWinona) "She cannot return to him. That would be a sign of weakness. That would be surrender."_

TriforceShipping - _(JasmineVolknerFlint) "He hid his true emotions in his afro and pretended that everything was perfectly fine."_

GrantedShipping - _(LanceYellow) "Lance knew he was bad for her, and he told her so constantly."_

MangaPearlShipping - _(RedPlatina) "Life went on, and so would she. Eventually."_

HatefulMemoriesShipping - _(WillBlue) "No need to let bad memories scare her away."_

FranticShipping - _(RubySapphire) "But don't get the wrong idea! This doesn't mean I like you or anything."_

FatherlyShipping - _(FalknerJanine) "She has many names (Anzu, Janine, Koga's girl), but so does he."_

RockSmashShipping_ - (BrawlyRoxanne) "And despite her insistence on finishing the project, Roxanne couldn't help but notice the butterflies in her stomach."_

ElectricEliteShipping - _(VolknerCynthia) "Cynthia was the strongest trainer he'd ever met."_

FeralSoulShipping - _(RubySilver)_ "The only marks that Ruby will have to hide from anyone after this ordeal are the line of hickeys up and down his shoulder and neck."

* * *

_Mission Statement: If it breathes, ship it._

_Accepting requests. Pokemon Special universe only._

* * *

_**Author's Note**__: This is an ongoing project. It began as a writing exercise, before I realized exactly how serious shipping is to many people. Now that I know this, I prefer to disregard this attitude, as it prevents many from seeing how many possibilities are out there. Please note that I don't really take most shippings terribly seriously, so even my favorites can be abused a bit._

_All pairings are technically mangaverse. However, some personalities (particularly of the Gym leaders) tend to have less elaboration than I would prefer, so many things are my own personal headcanons. They may not line up with your headcanons. You would do well to keep this in mind._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, nor do I claim to own Pokemon. If I owned Pokemon, then I would not be writing fanfiction. I would be creating new games, or slaving away at the next plot arc for PokeSpe. Or, I would have found a deserted island somewhere in the South Pacific and found a way to make them real. But, no. I own nothing. But the stories are mostly made up by me, so I'd prefer it if you didn't 'borrow' those ideas either._


	2. ElectroTherapyShipping: Not Alone

_**Author's Note**: The first shipping is ElectrotherapyShipping, or Volkner and Yellow. _

_I would like to make it clear early on that I would prefer that no ships get bashed in the reviews. It is your choice to read or not to read any given pairing, and while I think it is a good experience to consider all pairings with an objective eye, please keep criticisms of the pairings themselves - or rival pairings - out of reviews._

_That said, criticism of the writing itself is more than welcome. I am always looking to improve._

_I don't own Pokemon. The story is from Yellow's point of view._

* * *

**Not Alone Anymore**

"_Just had my heart broken, nothing unusual…"_

* * *

I met him one evening at the lighthouse. Orange sunlight glowed around us, casting his shadow in fiery light. His back was turned, his hands folded neatly behind him, as he stared out over the city like a guardian over his kin.

When I walked over and tried to greet him, however, he simply nodded and turned away.

Others had warned me... apparently, this man cared only about battling. He loved his Pokemon, but he could care less about the affairs of other people.

A lot like someone else I'd once known and fought. And too much like someone I had once known and loved.

And, for a bit, I thought that they were right, that he was an insensitive jerk who didn't even care about other people.

I guessed he thought that I was just a little girl, and that I didn't matter. So I tried to just… push him out of mind. Try to be happy anyway.

But there was something else, too, something that wouldn't let me forget that sculpted face. You could see it in his eyes, the way he hunched his shoulders like it was a cold night. The contrast between his gentle hands and stern face. Something was hurting in that man, and it felt like I was the only one who could see it.

I couldn't understand why he was so broken.

A few days had passed since our meeting. It was a pretty day, with the sun high in the sky behind the fewest wispy clouds, and so I decided to take a walk along the beach.

Donning a comfortable blue blouse and sandals, I smiled into a mirror briefly before I left. I was sixteen and finally free. I was broken too, in some ways, though you couldn't tell by my face. Just had my heart broken, nothing unusual. I had been told that many girls of my age had been heartbroken before.

That was something I could believe.

As I looked out over the aquamarine waves, I felt eyes on the back of my head. I turned and saw, well, _him_. He was perched on a rock nearby, wearing his usual clothes and his usual frown, blue eyes shocking in their intensity. This time was different than the lighthouse, though. This time, he beckoned to me with his finger. Nervously, I flounced over, the ribbon in my hair trailing behind me on the breeze.

"Yellow..." he sighed, looking out over the ocean. "Why are you here?"

"Uhm..." I said, not sure how much to tell him. "I needed a vacation."

"Very funny." He turned toward me then. "You're _running_ from something, aren't you?"

The waves crashed harmlessly, but I paled on the spot. How had he known?

"You don't have to answer." He crossed his arms. "But I do have something that belongs to you." He pulled out a sketchbook - my sketchbook! - from his bag and gazed at it lazily.

"Where... where did you get this?" I asked shakily. I reached out for it, but he didn't hand it over.

"You left it at the Lighthouse the night we met." He flipped through the last few pages absently, ignoring my humiliated blush. "We are not so different, you and I."

"What do you mean?"

"I also have loved and lost."

"Oh." We were quiet for a minute. "Is that why you're always alone?"

He looked surprised. "Why - yeah, I guess you could say that."

I felt warm in my heart, the same way I do whenever I heal a Pokemon. I had some kind of power over him, the same way Red had once had power over me.

I could heal him.

And he could heal me.

"You don't have to be alone..." I murmured and touched his arm. He glanced at me, surprised, hawklike eyes examining every part of my soul.

And then softened his gaze. "And neither do you, Yellow."


	3. SoulShipping: See You Clearly

_**Author's Note**: So, here we have SoulShipping, which is Morty x Sabrina! Not to be confused with SoulSilverShipping. I hope you like it, guys. It's different from the first two, because it DOESN'T revolve around characters getting over someone. It's really upbeat, and I had a lot of fun writing it. I listened to a bunch of Lifehouse, but that didn't really suit the writing, so I stopped. _

_Also, there are actually Pokemon in a Pokemon story. What is this I don't even._

_Oh, right. MangaQuest, per request! I'll try to churn that out in time for tomorrow, which is Valentine's Day._

* * *

**See You Clearly**

"_It's like you're all blurry around the edges."_

* * *

As the sun set over Saffron City, people went about their normal business. It wasn't an unusual day in Kanto, and everything was perfectly okay. Normal days had returned to the world, and everyone was glad to be safe at home.

Everyone, of course, except for the sole challenger at the Saffron City Gym.

"Haunter, use Spite!" cried a strong voice as a young man pointed a finger across the arena.

"Interesting move," spoke the other voice, cool and collected. "Now my Alakazam can't use its signature attack any more. Very good!" This voice belonged to a tall woman with hair the shade of the night sky. She smiled cunningly. "Let's see how you handle this next move!"

She didn't voice her command. The challenger tensed, understanding that this attack was being shared with her Pokemon via psychic ability - which was a distinct advantage. He was completely unprepared when a visible wave of psychic energy sent his Haunter flying.

"Ah, you got me!" he said, smiling slightly. "How about... my next Pokemon?" The Pokeball sailed through the air, landing in the middle of the arena. The ghost Pokemon instantly vanished into the shadows, leaving Sabrina turning her head from side to side.

She replied, "Good strategy. You think I can't see it, though..." She laughed brilliantly, making even the challenger smile slightly, as though punch-drunk. "Well, I see all!"

The challenger muttered, "That's my line." Placing his fingers on his nose, he closed his own eyes. "Not for long! Misdreavus, Psybeam! Distort the air around the field."

Any onlookers would have noticed the field grow hazy, as though it were a very hot day, and then the Pokemon vanish entirely.

Sabrina chuckled again. "Nice try." She recalled her Alakazam. "How about... Mr. Mime?" The Pokemon appeared. "Use Light Screen!" The Psychic Pokemon immediately attempted to box in Misdreavus. "Your own trick backfired! I can see through the Psychic waves, and you can't! And you can't guide your Pokemon out of this room, either..." She grinned a bit wildly. "How will you defeat me now... Morty?"

Morty smiled slowly, his blond hair flashing in even the dim lights. "You forget. I can see things too." He recalled his Pokemon regardless and walked toward the center of the room. "I could see exactly how to get out of that trick room. They don't call me 'Eyes for a Thousand Miles' for no reason!"

Sabrina sighed and returned her own Pokemon to its ball. "Fine. It's a draw."

Morty grinned and raised his eyebrows. "How about something to eat, now?"

Sabrina looked at him, and something glimmered in her eye. Suspicion, perhaps? "Fine."

…

…

Twenty minutes later, Sabrina sat in the booth to a diner, watching dusk sink over her city. Saffron City. The place where she had been born. The city that she had almost destroyed by recklessly joining Team Rocket. All of that… all of that had been for power, hadn't it?

Of course, now she was a changed woman. Now she spent her days recuperating and her sleepless nights wandering the streets aimlessly.

Morty returned to their booth, carrying two trays of food. She smiled in passing as he set her food in front of her, and then climbed into the opposite booth.

For awhile they ate in relative silence. Morty was quite a bit more preoccupied with the meal, shoving food into his mouth, while Sabrina would look up occasionally from her soup to observe his mannerisms.

Finally, she spoke up. "I don't understand," she told him bluntly.

"What don't you understand?" He stopped eating and met her tumultuous eyes with his calm ones.

"You're not like any other guy I've met. You battle me and then treat me to dinner? What are you trying to do?"

Morty smiled somewhat slowly. "You hang out with the wrong crowd, don't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sabrina bristled, and then took a deep breath. "I mean, most guys I talk with either want to know why I'm so powerful… or they try to get in my pants. What about you? You're not doing either."

"How do you know that I'm not trying to do either one of those things?"

She narrowed her eyes. "I don't. That's the problem! You're throwing everything off."

Morty merely chuckled and crossed his hands behind his head. "Everything? Good to know that I have such an effect on you."

Sabrina glared. "No, that's not it…"

"Then what is it?"

"I can't tell! Something's funny about you, I know that much…"

"Something funny? What is that supposed to mean?"

"How am I supposed to know? You're the seer here."

"Oh, is that it?"

"Yeah. I can't tell. It's like you're all blurry around the edges."

Morty sighed and chuckled. "So, do you want to cut this conversation short and get to the point of things?"

"I am a direct person."

Morty leaned forward, meeting Sabrina's confused gaze. "Well, here's the truth of things. You intrigue me. We came to a draw in our match… and I only draw with very skilled trainers. And… there's something about you."

Sabrina snorted, disguising a derisive laugh. "Something… about me? What is this, a romance novel?"

"No. But sometimes reality can be even more… interesting."

"Tell me about it."

For a while, they just stared at each other, trying to understand. It wasn't going well, if the looks on their faces meant anything. But in the end, they walked out of that diner hand in hand, passing like ghosts through the Saffron City streets.

When they finally arrived back at the Gym, Sabrina broke the comfortable silence. "What are we? Not lovers."

Morty grinned fiendishly. "No, we're not lovers. But I want to keep seeing you."

"Any particular reason why?"

"I want to figure you out. Figure out why you interest me."

"Call it mutual."

And so, in the end, Morty and Sabrina parted ways with a single shared desire: to see each other clearly. It was only the beginning.

* * *

_**Author's Note**: Thanks for the read! Now… MangaQuestShipping time. Oh, yeah… Review, please. _


	4. MangaQuestShipping: The Task at Hand

_**Author's Note**: And here's my Valentine's MangaQuest! It has nothing to do with Valentine's Day, actually._

_There's one thing bugging me a little… I envisioned Gold and Crystal to be about sixteen, but this is set when they should be more like fourteen at the greatest. So, I guess this is a bit AU. Oh well. Just read it, I guess. XD _

_Gold's POV. In case, you know, you don't get that from the first two paragraphs, haha._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

**The Task at Hand**

"_Well, we'll always mess up some. That's just nature."_

* * *

By the time I woke up, she was already gone. Figures. Super Serious Girl always was the more devoted of us. Or maybe she just didn't get discouraged as easily.

I threw on a shirt and walked out to the docks. The ocean sparkled in the early morning sunlight. Mornings always felt weird to me, since I was used to sleeping until noon.

But sacrifices must be made.

I ended up deciding to go for a run around the island. To blow off steam, you know, and warm up for the day's training. And, of course, I could mull over my thoughts.

I wanted to see Crys, to apologize. We'd fought. Again. It was ridiculous, really. I mean, we were supposed to work together, as friends, to rescue our seniors, as well as Silver. But once we got to Two Island to train, something snapped. And we couldn't even control our own damn hormones.

After all, what was it about Crys that made me want to run a mile? There were a lot of pretty girls out there. Not many of them intrigued me anymore, though. Ever since I met Super Serious Girl, it takes more than nice curves or a pretty face to turn me on.

Lost in my thoughts, I completely forgot where I was. Big mistake; the terrain around Two Island had a slick grade of rock, and the cliffs could be a bit steep.

Stupid me. I slipped crossing a rock ledge and went flying. "Ahhhhh!" I cried out as my body tumbled toward the ground. I knew it. I was doomed…

I hit the hard stone below with a resounding crack and a loud groan. Something hurt really bad in my leg, and there was a funny lump on my thigh. 'Broken…' I realized miserably, blood thumping heavily on my eardrums.

'I need help,' I thought to myself, pushing torso up on one hand. I searched blindly with my free hand, looking for my Pokeballs.

The last thing I took in before I fainted was the realization that the opening mechanism to Explotaro's ball had broken in my fall as well. I was stuck here.

…

…

I heard humming when I woke up. Slowly my eyes flickered open, and then I saw a very familiar face, hovering inches above mine.

"How did you know," I rasped, my voice as dry as bone.

"Some people have good observational skills," she remarked, but her voice lacked venom. For that I was grateful; I didn't have the energy for another fight. She drained me that way. "We're back at the cabin, by the way. Mega carried you."

I sat up. A bit too quickly, apparently, since the blood rushed out of my head with mind-numbing speed. I fell back down, dizzy. "I feel like I should apologize to you."

Crys looked away. "Of course you should."

"And I will."

"Good."

"Not now, though."

She looked back at me, and I cringed. Crys could be pretty scary sometimes. Silver used to laugh at me at times like this, saying something about Crys being more of a man than me. But I'd like to see _him_ stand up to Super-Serious Girl at times!

Oh. Right. Silver.

Crys was saying, "When, then, Gold? Grow up. We're not twelve anymore, and the fights won't stop just because you break your leg."

I couldn't remember what I had planned to say. "Crys…"

She continued. "That sets us behind schedule. How do you expect to rescue our seniors if you keep acting like an idiot?"

"Crys."

"I mean, really! All you've done on this mission so far is mess up and put us back. And… What?"

"I'm sorry."

"And I forgive you. We just can't afford to mess up any more."

I slowly pushed myself up. I was still wearing the clothes from my failed attempt at a jog, so I felt grimy and disgusting in between the clean sheets. "You and me…"

She sat down, taking care to avoid my damaged limb. "Well, we'll always mess up some. That's just nature."

Heh, we weren't perfect, and it was comforting to know that Crystal knew it as well. "So where do we go from here?"

She smiled slightly, the evening sunlight casting a glow on her skin. She looked beautiful. "Wherever we want. The only thing… we can't let this thing between us jeopardize the mission any more."

I nodded. "Right. We should keep our minds on the task at hand."

The task at hand… we needed to rescue Silver and the seniors, and we could only do that by training like neither of us had ever trained before.

But as she leaned over and kissed me on the cheek, the task at hand wasn't what spoke in my gut.

As she turned to go, I spoke up, my voice trembling just a little. "Crys." She turned back, and I could see a little sadness in her eye. So I wasn't the only who was feeling what I felt. "After… after the task at hand ends…"

She bit her lip. "After we finish with this… we can try again. Until then, let's focus, okay?"

"Focus. Right."

Focus on the task at hand. I could do that. I could…

* * *

_**Author's Note**: Since this was written, I have written some more MangaQuest. If you'd like to check that out, you can take a peek at my profile for 'Theirs Was the Garden', which is a 100 Themes challenge that turned out quite well. Or, if you would rather have some drabbles, try the one titled 'Loquacious', which is the MangaQuest part of 'Boxes of Chocolates'._

_Also, I should have figured out a way to mention that Gold and Explotaro learned Blast Burn in record time after this incident with Crys. _


	5. SteelHeartShipping: Princess in Tower

_**Author's Note**: This was ridiculously difficult to come up with. Green Oak x Jasmine? I mean, that's not even a named pairing! I used to call it 'YoungShipping', but I totally just changed it to SteelHeartShipping after writing this. Neither is official, so… EDIT: Now SteelHeartShipping is the official name for Green & Jasmine. :3_

_And, this took longer than any of the others so far, except for the SoulShipping one. I should keep in mind that my best work always takes longer. _

_Haha, I keep editing my list of ships that I still have to write, but even so, there's no way I can predict what the order will end up being. So, even I have no idea, beyond one or two. _

_Without further ado, here's the piece! Enjoy._

* * *

**Princess in the Tower**

_"It seemed as though he was the only one who could rescue her now."_

* * *

Green Oak woke up to his PokeGear ringing.

Groaning, he rolled out of the comfortable bed and onto the Pokemon Center floor. It was 7:30 in the morning; who would be calling him so early? For that matter, who would be calling him at all? Everyone knew that he was not the most sociable person in the world.

To his surprise, it was an unregistered number. _That's weird_, he thought. After all, he took care to make sure that as few people as possible could contact him. That way, annoyances didn't constantly distract him from his training with mindless chatter.

It was a text. He squinted, trying to read the illuminated font with still-blurry eyes.

'_Need help, at the lighthouse.'_

_Fine,_ he mentally told the sender. _Be cryptic_. He put on one of his signature polo shirts and prepared to head out. Just before he left, he returned the message.

…

…

'_On my way'._

Well, Green certainly lived up to his reputation as a man of few words.

Jasmine was lucky, in a way. Both unlucky and lucky. It had been her bad luck, to end up trapped at the top of the lighthouse just before it went under construction. But she was lucky enough to know that a certain brunette boy was visiting the port city on Pokemon League business. And, it was even luckier that she'd gotten his number a few years before.

Even if she'd never worked up the courage to use it.

She could hear the sound of machinery just outside the tower. Apparently, no one had thought to check the tower before beginning the construction. Not good. What fool had decided to block the stairwell? Of course, it was partly her fault for falling asleep and not noticing the noises all around her until it was too late. It wasn't as though the small brunette girl could help being a dreamer.

With those thoughts, she mentally sent wishes of encouragement to her fellow Gym Leader. It seemed as though he was the only one who could rescue her now.

…

…

It was a short walk from the Olivine Pokemon Center to the famous lighthouse. Green saw the apparent problem immediately; cranes and tractors moved around just outside the brick wall. Someone was probably trapped inside, if his analytical mind had anything to say about the situation. Probably someone important, too, if they had his PokeGear number.

He checked his Pokemon, looking for a way to get to the top. Just his luck. _Of course _he'd left Pidgeot and Charizard in Viridian City. That meant that he had no way to simply fly to the top of the tower and be done with the job. Instead, he would have to climb the damn building.

Fine then.

"Come on out, Scizor." The red Pokemon appeared and lashed its claws, ready for anything. Green had chosen this Pokemon because he figured that, if he had to climb the lighthouse, he should at least have with him a Pokemon who could catch him if he were to fall. Scizor's claws would support him if things went awry.

As he walked to the base of the tower, mind on the task, it didn't even cross his mind to think about who he was rescuing. All that mattered was the rescue itself. Anything else would come after the fact.

…

…

Jasmine slumped over against the wall, a bead of sweat accumulating on her eyebrow. People didn't normally use the lighthouse during the day, since the point was to light up the seas at night. It was getting hot, she thought vaguely, head boiling like the roof over her head. If Green didn't get there soon, she would just have to figure out a different way out of the tower.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of something hitting the aluminum deck. Then a large _crack_, as though something had punctured the metal surface. Gasping, she hurriedly pulled herself to her feet and rushed out toward the noise, only to discover…

…well, Green Oak, arms wrapped around a Scizor. His hair ruffled in the wind a bit, making him appear quite masculine. She blushed as this thought passed through her weary mind.

"Jasmine?" he asked, his eyebrows rising slightly in surprise. "You need rescuing a lot, don't you?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, adjusting her white dress's halter a bit. A gust of wind tossed her hair up, and she pressed her hands against the sides of the old-fashioned outfit

"Didn't Silver save you once? In Ecruteak City?"

She pouted slightly, eyes narrowing in slight confusion. "How… how do you know about that?"

The Viridian City Gym Leader snorted impatiently. "I am friends with him, you know." He gestured to the open air with a shy smile. "We should… go…"

…

…

A construction worker sighed wearily, climbing into the cab of the big crane that they were using to make routine repairs to the famous lighthouse. Just another day at work for this man…

He looked furtively around. His overseer wasn't nearby. And he was just so… sleepy…

As the construction worker nodded off, he fell forward onto the controls for the machine. With a mechanical groan, the crane lurched and turned. And just like that, the end, wrecking ball and all, plunged into the side of the tower.

…

…

Jasmine heard the loud groan and then crash, and said, "What was that?"

Of course, neither had time to answer. Green caught himself as an impact hit the upper levels of the lighthouse, but then the deck itself began to cave under the building's weight. "It's… collapsing…" he said through gritted teeth, before he slipped abruptly and tumbled down the rapidly declining balcony. He managed to catch the handrail with his hand. Like that, he dangled high above the construction site. Wind pushed him about as he struggled to maintain even the single-handed grip that he had. His eyes wide with shock, his legs twisting against the gusts of air.

Jasmine, meanwhile, was almost completely safe. She had backed against the wall and observed in horror as the deck on which she had stood decreased to a forty-five degree angle.

Something that few people knew about Jasmine was that she hated heights. She hated heights more than anything in the world. "Oh, Amphy…" she whimpered, staring out at the sea in full light. Normally, she only climbed the tower at night, when it was too dark to see exactly how far from the sweet earth she had gone. Now, however…

But she couldn't afford to lose her focus! A harsh gust of wind shook the tower, causing Green to rock further back and forth. His mouth was grim, as if he knew his fate. Her fellow Gym Leader was so strong, and so focused… she would have let go by now, simply because of fear!

Well, fear wasn't going to kill anyone today. Not if she could help it.

Narrowing her eyes so that she could barely see, she concentrated solely on Green's face, his strong features and self-supportive determination. Jasmine completely ignored the surrounding area, as well as the distant noises of alarm as some of the men on the ground realized what had occurred. One step… one single step at a time.

No hurry. It wasn't like this was a life and death matter or anything like that.

Green almost had lost his will to hold on any longer, when he saw Jasmine's face above him. She grabbed his hand and tugged. He registered his own surprise at her strength, as well as the fact that she'd made it down to his position. Wasn't the deck tilted beyond further use?

When his body finally had been pulled above the ledge, he could see why she wasn't falling as well. Beneath her, a Pokemon hovered, eyes wide and blinking. "A… Magnezone?" he asked, still holding her hand, even in safety. He quickly realized this and let go, blushing slightly.

Jasmine nodded, also blushing. She folded her hands modestly in front of her smock-like dress. "It… it just evolved. I wasn't even sure that would work…"

Green raised his eyebrows and said nothing.

Jasmine, however, had something to add. In her shy voice, she questioned, "Weren't you supposed to be saving me?"

Green met her eyes with wry humor in his eyes. "Let's just find a way off this stupid tower."

* * *

_**Author's Note**: Review._

_I was gonna put another really odd crack pairing next (Crystal x Courtney) but I decided against it. I can only stretch my brain so far in such a short time, and this story wore me out. _

_So… CommonerShipping? I'll admit, I'm a bit of a HaughtyShipper myself. But I already thought of the concept. It's gonna be really cute!_

_Thanks for reading! You guys are the best. _


	6. CommonerShipping: Don't Talk

_**Author's Note**: Thanks for reviewing! This is a CommonerShipping story, in which Dia tries to explain his feelings about Platina to Pearl… and it doesn't go well. Dia x Platina._

_Anyway, it's from Pearl's POV. Keep that in mind, even though he's not part of the pairing._

_I don't have much to say here for some reason. Uh, reviews? Please? And other such fun stuff. Always good. :) _

_If you like this shipping, you ought to check out my story 'Parametric'. It's part of my series 'Boxes of Chocolates', in which I write drabbles for ten different pairings._

* * *

**Don't Talk**

_'"You just… tell her! You know! With words."'_

* * *

"Pearl?"

"Hmm? What is it, Dia?"

"I think we should talk."

I turned to my best friend. My best, chubby friend, who happened to be holding a loaf of bread in his two capable hands. I salivated a little; Dia had always been an eater, but ever since we'd hit our teens, I had also gained the habit of eating anything and everything in sight as well. Only Platina didn't have this desire, and that was probably because she was a girl or something.

Focus, Pearl. Focus.

So, I turned to Dia, wanted his bread, and then focused on his face. "Talk? About what? If you're wondering, I thought of two new punch lines for our manza yesterday and-"

Dia cut me off. Weird. That never happens. "No, Pearl. Not about our manza." He smiled. "About Platina!"

Platina. It had been two years since we'd all met, and I'd loved every day of it. We were a team!

But what did Dia want to say about it? "Dia? What about Platina?" I was completely befuddled.

Dia pinked a little on his cheeks, then took a large bite of the bread. "A-hinka quoik a."

"Come again?"

He swallowed the bread and refused to meet my eyes. Instead, he scanned the empty Pokemon Center. "I… I think I like her."

"As in, like-like her?" Stupid question. But I had to be sure! I made too many assumptions, and this was something I couldn't assume about.

"Yes. I have a crush… on Missy."

Wow. That was… unexpected.

Wait, was it really? I thought about it for a few seconds. Dia had a crush on Platina; that made complete sense. "Well of _course_ you do!" I hollered, unable to control myself. Dia cringed and attempted to cover my mouth with his hand, but I was too fast. I dodged out of the way, grinning widely. He shut me up by shoving a chunk of the precious bread into my mouth.

That worked far too well. I glared a bit, then concentrated on chewing and avoiding drooling all over my stripy sweater.

In my silence, Dia continued talking, scratching at the back of his neck a bit nervously. "I said that… because I need some help." How had I not known exactly how red Dia could get? "I don't know how to tell her, and I really am nervous about it…"

I finished my bread with a hard swallow. "You just… tell her! You know! With words." The Dia I knew was far more eloquent than me. He also had better ideas for situations like this. "Don't hesitate! Just go in for the win."

He didn't look convinced, and when he left the Pokemon Center lobby, I knew that he wasn't going to follow through.

That was when I knew I had to take matters into my own hands.

…

…

"Platina! Dia! Great evening, isn't it!" I practically shouted cheerfully as I walked into the room we were sharing in the Pokemon Center. Platina looked up from a book, while Dia wiped a bit of Poffin juice from his eyebrow. Yes, I had been right to do this. They looked _perfect_ for each other from my spot from the door. I grinned wickedly inside.

Platina marked her page evenly. "I suppose it is getting late, isn't it? We should do something about supper."

Dia glanced at her. "I can cook something, I think…" He clearly hadn't followed through on my advice from before; after all, both of them were still acting completely normal.

However, that idea was counterproductive. "No, no! You've been working very hard today. You're far too exhausted to do something like cook!" I waved my hand in the air, dismissing stuttered statements regarding the fact that Dia _enjoyed cooking_.

So I grabbed their hands in normal Pearl-esque fashion and dragged them down to the kitchens. I'd borrowed Platina's credit card in order to rent out the kitchens for the evening, and then I'd attempted cooking.

Okay, so maybe the plan wasn't as good as I'd thought beforehand. Oh, well. At least the little table for two, complete with a lit candle and nice-looking plates would give the pair a bit of… privacy.

Sort of.

"I made dinner for you guys!" I said with a bit too much gusto, forcing the two down into their seats. Then I stood back to observe my friends. They both looked at me expectantly… or was that look supposed to mean that I was some kind of idiot? Either way, I practically ran to the other side of the kitchen and fetched the main course. Spaghetti.

After dumping a pile of noodles and red sauce on both plates and pouring glasses of fake champagne, I hurried off with some lame excuse ('Oh, I just need a bit of fresh air…'), leaving the cute couple in uncomfortable peace. Then I ran upstairs and took my position. I smiled with fiendish delight as I confirmed that the ceiling above the kitchen _did _have enough crawl space to climb up to the rafters and stare down at the occupants. Yes, a bit creepy. But I just had to know if my plan was working!

Unfortunately, I couldn't hear a word they said. And, of course, watching two people take a few bites of a meal is always a bit boring. So I decided to make up my own dialogue for what was going on down below.

Platina picked up her fork and twirled a strand of spaghetti around it, examining it closely. 'Pearl is very nice for making this dinner. I wonder if he tried any of it?' I whispered in a high-pitched voice, mimicking her mouth with my left hand.

Dia cut in, saying something. 'I don't know,' I mimed. 'It's very good, considering he cooked it.' Then I frowned at myself. My dialogue made Dia sound like a complete snob!

Platina set down her fork, leaning in to say something to Dia. He blushed furiously as I pretended that she said, 'Hold on, I'll go get some more.' She stood up and walked across the room…

…to the radio? She twisted the knob and adjusted the volume. I forgot my dialogue and pressed my face against the rafters, wanting to hear what was actually being said. The faint throb of Johto swing music… an echo of voices… the clinking of two champagne glasses. I looked down just in time to see both Dia and Platina drain their drinks.

Then something unexpected happened. Dia, blushing, held out his hand to dance! I watched eagerly as she took the offered limb and the two began swaying. Platina and Dia were dancing! Of course, she was about ten times better, and Dia was only an inch taller, but it still had to be the cutest thing I'd ever seen.

The song ended, and they broke apart. I watched in disappointment as they sat back down and ate some more in what appeared to be silence. Then Dia stood and walked toward the fridge. I assumed that he was just going to get out something cold to eat, but then I watched, outraged, as he pulled out cooking ingredients! Butter, and milk, and eggs, and something else.

I began listening in again. Their voices were faint, but I could understand them. "Don't worry, Platina, I'll get you something to eat that doesn't hurt your belly." I frowned; was my cooking really that bad?

Platina answered, "Thank you, Dia."

I sighed. Nothing was going to happen now! Not if Dia started cooking. He just got too focused to actually do anything or concentrate on anything else.

I had just laid down and was trying to figure out how to shimmy out of my hole in the ceiling when I heard Platina speak in her quiet voice. "Dia, you don't have to do that."

"No, it's fine!" he replied cheerfully. "I _want _to do this. I want you to be happy!"

Platina settled into a peaceful silence, and for a while the only noise was the sound of something simmering on the stove.

Then Dia started talking again. Awkwardly. "I mean, um, this should taste very good."

Platina chuckled, and I pictured Dia blushing even deeper red than normal. "Of course. Your cooking is very good."

"Uh… I guess so." I nearly facepalmed. Dia really was going to mess this up! After all my hard work. "Platina…"

"What is it, Dia?"

"There's… there's something that I need to tell you.

"Like what?"

"Well…" I leaned in, my nose flat against the wooden floor. This was just too intense to miss! "Do you remember that one time when I made you food to prepare for your Super Contest?"

"Of course. I regained my confidence."

"That was what I wanted! I just wanted to make you happy." I smiled, hoping that Platina wasn't totally oblivious. "I still want that, you know."

"Dia?" Platina's voice was too confused. I didn't like this. Not one bit. "That was years ago. We're older now. We've changed."

"Yes!" He seemed almost hysterical… well, as hysterical as Dia ever got, anyway. "We have changed. But you're just as amazing as you've always been! And as for me, well, I'm just the same old Dia. Good at cooking and battling. But you're still better at… everything… than me… and you're so pretty too… Oh, no…"

'Oh no' was right. Now Platina would _never_ like him back!

"Perhaps you should stop talking." And then I looked up just in time, amazed, to see Platina wrap her arms around Dia from behind… and then kiss him lightly on the cheek, the food completely forgotten as steam wafted around the pair.

I smiled as I crawled back towards the ladder I'd used to get to the ceiling. My work was done. Now all that was left was to figure out a way to get some of that food that Dia had been working on. They were right about one thing… my cooking skills stunk!

* * *

_**Author's Note: **I thought I knew where that was going, I really did. But about halfway through, Pearl came to life and told me that I was doing it wrong! And then I let him take over the story. I love it when that happens, except then the characters don't end up saying what I originally thought they were planning to say. How… annoying._

_Pearl and I would totally get along, though. He's a shipper, too!_

_And now… the long anticipated ChosenShipping! Or, Silver and Blue. I think it's cute. Some people prefer OldRival, and others think that Blue's not a very neat character. Well, I'll try to woo you guys with some cuteness! I'll do something completely new. You'll see._


	7. ChosenShipping: Dance with Me

_**Author's Note**: ChosenShipping, or Blue and Silver._

_The story concept… Well, you have a prologue and an epilogue, both voiced by Silver, and the middle is third person. I hope you enjoy it._

* * *

**Dance with Me**

_"I still remember the look on her face during that silence, that look of stunned embarrassment."_

* * *

_I am black and blue._

_No, that's wrong. I am silver. I am Silver. Like the moon, or like my eyes. But my mind is black, and my soul is blue. As for my heart, well, that belongs to someone else._

_I'm just a kid with a bad past. That's so cliché that it's not even funny. But it's still true. Born to a gang leader, raised by a psychopath…_

_Rescued. By an angel._

_I guess my past isn't so bad._

_But it hurt to know that I was 'just' a brother. 'Just' a friend. You see, that's what she told me, when I confessed. She was sitting in the kitchen, reading a book. I walked in there, blushing like mad. My face was probably as red as my hair. And I laid it all out. Told her I was falling in love with her._

_I still remember the look on her face during that silence, that look of stunned embarrassment. I remember wondering how anyone could be so oblivious – how could anyone not see it? – and she patted my arm. I was fourteen; she was seventeen and taller than me. She told me we were all wrong together, that we weren't meant for each other. _

_I remember watching her leave. Hearing the door to my permanent room in the Pokemon Center slam shut, giving way to an eerie silence afterwards._

_So this was heartbreak._

…

…

That was two years ago.

Blue sighed, staring out the window into the fields of Pallet Town. A smile graced her face as she observed the view from her family home.

The sky and clouds created layers of contrast, areas where black and white touched. No gray in between. Could two things so different (and yet so beautiful) be so perfect together? Blue didn't know.

She did know, however, that she was extremely nervous.

Two hours. Just two hours more between then and the time when a certain someone would be picking her up. Blue always got a few butterflies in her stomach before dates, even though they were frequent. Maybe it was because each date was something different. That was because each date was with a different boy.

Yes, Blue was popular. But that didn't change the fact that nothing had worked out.

See, despite Blue's numerous adventures with various males, not one of them had been the one. Each of the boys had gone away from their date drunk on lust and desire, and each of them had been tossed to the curb like loose rag dolls. Not literally, of course. But Blue didn't let them think they had a chance with her, especially if they didn't. Not answering calls, blocking text messages, ignoring emails. If one of them got too attracted, then she could easily defeat him in Pokemon battle. And thus, she had never had a boyfriend.

Of course, there was one exception to this painful policy. But he knew he didn't have a chance in the world.

Anyway. Today's date was a young man who originated in Sinnoh. His name was Evan, and she had met him some time ago on a trip. They'd clicked instantly, even though she clicked with a lot of people, and they'd exchanged numbers. And, when things got boring, she called him up. Their first date? Yes. Their second time meeting in person? Yes.

All the more exciting that way.

Instead of spending that time putting on layers of makeup or fussing over her outfit,, Blue instead prepared mentally. After all, a date was a competition, and Blue hated losing. (She shared that trait with most of the Dex holders, all of whom were notorious for being better than everyone around them at something.)

Oh, no, she wouldn't lose. And the best way to avoid losing, was to not consider it a possibility. No. She could not lose. She could only win.

Within thirty minutes of Evan's supposed arrival time at her hometown, Blue began to prepare. Hmm, Evan played the viola in a symphony, and he planned to take her to Viridian City… perhaps she should wear something classy. So she picked out a flowing dress, colored a deep _blue_, and put on a simple necklace with a topaz pendant. Her hair took roughly ten minutes, and she kept her face plain. In order to look beautiful, all she needed to do was _feel_ beautiful… and the rest would work itself out.

With the doorbell's ring, she understood that her time was up.

Waltzing down the stairs, Blue opened the door to reveal a strapping young man with luxuriously messy orange-blond hair. He too had dressed up for the occasion, and she was delighted to see a flirtatious smile. "Ready?" he said, gesturing toward the path. She could see the Pokemon that would take them to the city, a well-groomed Girafarig with a bow in its mane.

She nodded and took his hand. "Yes."

"Good, because we're going dancing."

…

…

Several hours later, Blue bid Evan farewell on the Viridian streets. Both of their eyes were wide with exhilaration from the evening.

But something wasn't right.

As the girl in her dress passed underneath the lit street lamps and aimlessly wandered the city, she thought about the evening. It had been wonderful. It had been _wonderful! _ And yet, there was some layer of trepidation beneath the chemistry that she had with Evan.

Even though he was perfect, he wasn't perfect for her.

_What am I doing?_ Blue thought to herself. _I'm wasting my time. I keep dating guys that I know won't be good for me._ All of these guys… all of them were great, and she broke their hearts without a second thought. Better for both of them, her justification. She hadn't talked to any of them again after making it clear that she wasn't interested.

Well, all except one.

Silver.

Of course, Silver was the exception. She'd never actually dated him. After all, how could she? He had been like a younger brother at only fourteen. So innocent and sweet. She hadn't wanted to ruin him.

And he'd been the first. The first in a string of broken hearts.

Only now did she feel the full pain of this fact. She'd broken Silver's heart. She'd broken her best friend, the one she trusted, the only one she knew that she could trust, no matter what. Even now, she still talked with him effortlessly, and he wasn't bitter at all.

Even just thinking about that rare but brilliant smile made her heart ache.

All these years… wasted… she could have, years ago… Then she shook her head. No, she couldn't have. He'd been too young. Wasn't there some childish rule about that…?

But now he was sixteen, and she was nineteen. Not identical. But close enough. It was close enough.

She realized suddenly that she'd been absentmindedly walking towards his rented apartment all along. And now she stood outside, wearing a fancy blue dress and practically crying. After a moment's hesitation, she reached up to knock on the door.

It was a minute before anyone answered, and for a minute Blue was terrified that Silver wasn't home, or, worse, there was someone else there. Gold, or a _girl_. It would serve her right, too, and that's what upset her the most.

But he answered, wearing a black t-shirt and sporting groomed hair, leaning on the doorframe with just his head and shoulder through the opening. "Blue," he said, looking at her, mystified. Then he recovered from her appearance and opened the door fully, throwing a thumb over his shoulder. "Is there something you need?"

"Need?" she asked, confused for a minute. "Oh. I think we should talk."

…

…

"Talk, you say? About what?"

They had taken a seat in Silver's tiny kitchen, which had a door to the little patio. The lights remained off; the full moon provided enough for them to see easily.

Blue immediately smiled, a bit flirtatiously. Not to mention, a little bit fake. "Silver, you're so articulate! So smart." Silver didn't crack a smile. The typical. Instead, he just met Blue's eyes evenly and waited. He knew her too well, and her smile slipped. "You make this really difficult, you know." She sighed and slumped, barely remembering that she actually had to _work_ to keep her strapless dress from falling down.

"I went on a date this evening," she started. "We went dancing, and I had a great time! He was a great guy, and he was really genuine."

Silver, to his credit, didn't respond with any animosity. He was good at hiding his feelings for Blue, to make her happy. "That's good."

"No, it's not good. See, afterwards, I just felt… drained. I still do. I feel like… I'm running from something. You know?"

Silver barked a laugh, and Blue watched his face's brief contortion into a smile with fascination. "Well, yeah. Running from the past." He looked out the window, good humor on his face. "We both do it."

Blue looked wistfully at him. "You're running from the past," she clarified gently. "I found my family, and so did you. But that just makes you run more, right?"

"Yeah." Silver turned to her, eyes matching his name and the moon outside the window. "Blue, it's late, and I have a phone. Any reason why you came here…?"

"Mmm-hmm." Blue sighed and tried to smile, like everything was normal. "Silver, I… I think I made a bad mistake."

"Really? About what? You don't like mistakes."

"It's about… someone special to me."

"Someone… special?"

"Yes. Someone who always has been there for me… who can make me smile! Someone who I've always loved, and I let him go."

"Really? Blue, who is it?"

"…it's you. I love _you_."

Silver slumped. What an anticlimax. "Oh. You mean as a brother, don't you?"

Blue stood and rushed across the room to hug Silver, who remained stoic. "No, I… I don't think I do."

Silver stood. Since he slumped in his seat, he seemed shorter than he actually was; after a growth spurt, his chin was in line with Blue's nose. And he returned the hug briefly. "I love you, Blue," he said, and she already knew. But at the same time, he held back. "But I don't want to lose you. If you tell me you love me, you can't just change your mind."

She shook her head. "No. I won't… hug me tighter, won't you?"

He held her shoulders, shaking his head, and smiling just the tiniest bit. "I have a better idea. Won't you… dance with me?"

…

…

_And so we danced, there on my patio, with only the moon as our spotlight and the crickets as our music. Her in her nice dress, and me in my pajamas._

_She loved me, she said. And I loved her._

_That's how all the best love stories go, right?_

_That doesn't change everything. I'm still terrified she'll change her mind and leave me. Go to that guy that had taken her dancing earlier in the evening, or earlier in the year. Think of me as a brother when she was my world._

_I'm probably thinking this over too much. Gold says I do that. I agree. _

_Maybe, for once, I should quit thinking, and just enjoy the dance._

* * *

_**Author's Note**: So, read and review! All shipping ideas still welcome, of course, but don't expect to see a story about them any time soon. Hehe~ Also, don't be afraid to 'let me have it'. Seriously. If there's something about my writing that's consistently bad, please tell me, so that I can work on that. That's even better than a simple statement of 'cute', because it lets me know that you want to see improvement!_

_Another thing. If you wanted to do fanart for these, you would forever be my god. I would write for you forever. Especially this one._


	8. AmberShipping: A Wild Ride

_**Author's Note**: I said I was gonna do something with Red next, but… then this happened. True story, actually… sort of. Definitely based off of experience._

_Ambershipping. Gold and Yellow. Sort of. It's not so much a shippy story as it is a quick tale about Gold and Yellow that could lead to something else. Maybe I'll write a sequel._

_Gold likes his toys. That much I WILL say._

* * *

**A Wild Ride**

"_Then, very suddenly, they stopped."_

* * *

The Dex holders of Kanto didn't see much of Gold. He was a busy teen, making radio appearances, working on his skills in the breeding world, and (of course) indulging in the exciting life of Goldenrod City. They heard a lot about him and his adventures, but rarely did they actually get a chance to spend time with him as a group.

So you can easily imagine their surprise when he pulled up in front of the Viridian City Gym the day after his sixteenth birthday, driving a bright red convertible.

"Hey, Green! Big Gym Leader guy!" he called out, slamming his new car's door. "Hello? Is anyone around?"

Green opened the Gym door and stood outside, arms crossed. The eighteen year old was not exactly hostile; he even seemed the slightest bit amused, a humorous glint in his eye. He showed no sign of surprise at his junior's unexpected and flashy arrival. "The four of us. We're having lunch. Would you like to – "

Gold wasn't listening. Instead, he excitedly brushed past Green and hollered into the Gym. "Hey, you seniors! I know you're there!"

The three others emerged from the living quarters at the Gym's back, chewing and holding evidence of their lunch. "Hello, Gold," Red said cheerily. "Happy birthday!"

"Yeah, thanks," said the impatient junior. "Everyone, we are taking a field trip! To the front! To see my new car."

"New car?" Blue chirped with renewed interest, a mischievous gleam in her eye. "Was it… expensive?"

"Of course!" Gold said cockily, hands behind his head. "It's a Rapidash HR. You know, the new model. I won the money gambling!"

"And are you sure that money's honest, Gold?" Green said, leaning against the doorframe. "After all, I wouldn't want to feel guilty about seeing what that car out there can do, now would I?"

Gold smirked. "Of course, Green," he swore. "Most of it, anyway. Hey, who's up for a spin?"

Blue was staring hungrily at the vehicle. Red, who had some knowledge of cars, had a broad grin on his face, matching Green. Even Yellow, who stood behind Red as though afraid of the Rapidash HR, was wide-eyed with anticipation.

Clearly, unanimous.

"Well, too bad!" Gold continued. "I can only take one person at a time, after all. No hard feelings. So, who wants to go first…?"

Blue immediately raised her hand. The others, while more reserved in showing their interest, clearly wanted the coveted first ride.

Except Yellow. "What's up, Yellow?" Gold asked, still grinning.

Yellow, who was wearing a denim skirt and a comfortable tank top, departing from her normal smock and leggings, had an apprehensive look on her face. "Is… is it _fast?_" she asked nervously.

The other Dex holders turned to her as though she was crazy.

"Yellow… Have you never heard of the Rapidash HR, the _fastest car _in the entire world?" Red asked, still grinning at the beautiful, beautiful sight. "After all, it can accelerate from zero to sixty in what, four-point-two seconds? Or maybe it was instantaneous. I can't remember." Even Pika, seated upon Red's shoulder, looked enthusiastic about the vehicle.

"Well… yes, I've heard of it, but…" Yellow looked somewhat doubtful. "Isn't it… you know, dangerous?"

Green sobered up a bit. "Yes, if you go too fast. As long as Gold drives _safely"_ – Gold looked somewhat guiltily away – "You should be just fine."

Yellow still creased her eyebrows. "I've never ridden in a car before," she confessed a bit wistfully. "It looks like fun."

Gold grabbed her hand abruptly and started pulling her toward the Rapidash HR. "Well, that's no good! Come on, Straw-Hat Gal, you and ChuChu are up first! Hop in."

As Yellow daintily stepped into the car, ChuChu following at her heels, she glanced back at Red and the others. And when Gold started the engine ("Woah! Listen to that torque!" Red exclaimed), she really, _really_ hoped that she hadn't just made a huge mistake.

…

…

Gold had his hands firmly on the steering wheel as he pulled down the road. For midday during the summer, it was relatively cool, but everyone knew that Kanto summers were still fairly sweaty. This was no exception; he felt a bead of sweat run down his eyebrow and drip onto the leather seats. And when he glanced over at Yellow, he could see that all visible skin was moist with the liquid.

_Focus, Gold, focus…_ "Yellow, make sure you buckle your seatbelt, okay?"

"Huh?"

"Y'know, this thing." He plucked at his own. "To keep you safe if we get into a wreck!"

"A… a wreck? Could that really happen?" ChuChu looked a bit concerned as well; after all, there were no Pikachu-sized seatbelts in the two-person convertible.

Gold reached down and turned on the radio, blasting rock music. "Nah. I think we'll be _just _fine." He rolled to a stop at a stop sign. "Now, where should we go for some fun… Ah! I have it! Route 2!" And with those words, they roared past the red sign and onwards.

Then, the young driver pulled to a halt on the outskirts of Viridian City, where he glanced with a grin at Yellow. "Hey, senior, are you ready?"

"Ready for what?"

"Ready… for some fun!" Gold floored the accelerator.

_Red was right,_ Yellow thought, clinging to ChuChu so that the tiny electric Pokemon didn't fly out of the top of the car. _This thing DOES accelerate instantaneously!_ Countryside flew by, along with houses and what looked like a brown blur. Yellow knew this to be fencing along Route 2, but for Gold's purposes, it served as road markers. As long as the brown blur stayed in the same place, they weren't swerving.

Gold, meanwhile, was having a blast. "Woo-hoo!" he shouted, taking his hands off the steering wheel entirely to throw them high into the air, as though it was a roller coaster. "Yellow! Tell me this isn't fun!" He then jerked the wheel to one side, spinning the car.

"Ahhhhh! We're ooouuuttt ooofff coooonnnnnnttttttroooollllll!" Yellow shouted, wind elongating her words. "Pppppiiiiiikkkaaaaa!" came ChuChu's equivalent cry of distress.

Then, very suddenly, they stopped.

Gold leaned back in his chair, breathing heavily. "Wooo!" he said, releasing ecstasy. "That… was… freakin'… amazing!" When he didn't receive an immediate response, he turned his head in exhaustion toward the blond girl. "Wasn't it!"

Yellow, too, was busy catching her breath. "Yes," she said. "That was _fun_."

Gold grabbed her hand again, this time causing an unexpected squeak from the seventeen-year-old girl. "So, were we wrong? To get you to do this?"

Yellow shook her head. "No! Not at all." She smiled, blushing for reasons that Gold didn't quite understand. "I have a question, though."

"And what's that?"

Two sets of amber eyes met for a second, both wide with adrenaline. "…Let's do it again?"

* * *

_**Author's Note**: This chapter was brought to you by the movie 'Cars', which encourages you not to follow in Gold's burnout marks on the pavement in front of the Viridian City Gym._

_Oh, Gold. I hope I didn't make Red OOC. I couldn't help making him a car fanatic, though. After all, that's how he gets about Pokemon, right? Sorry if I messed up any of the car terms. Despite being almost eighteen, I still don't drive. _

_I can tell you right now that Gold x Green would never work out. Nevereverever. If anyone can find a good story for that, I would like to see it, just to prove that it can be done. _

…_actually, what am I saying? I'll probably end up writing them at some point, to prove that it can be done._


	9. MangaAdvanceShipping: Fighter

_**Author's Note**: I had a lot of trouble picking out which ship to do. I wanted to include Red, but I have come to realize that my brain simply refuses to pair him with anyone except Misty, Yellow, and Blue, all of which I see as possibilities. [note: This has since changed.] _

_So, I paired him with another person my brain refuses to pair with anyone except one person. _

_This. Is. MangaAdvanceShipping. _

_Red and Sapphire._

_I think my brain is dead. Enjoy, and excuse me if this a bit awkward…_

_Concept… Even Sapphire needs saving. From the world… and from herself. And there are bad guys in this; I called them Team Neo, because I am so unoriginal. But they're just your generic Team. Not to mention, this story isn't about them._

* * *

**Fighter**

"_Red was the first to actually ask beforehand."_

* * *

It started with an explosion.

Light, sound, motion. Not to mention heat. All in a heartbeat. Of course the two Pokemon trainers on the road were tossed like ragdolls into the open air. Flying was like a dream. Falling was the nightmare. Seeing the ground approach, knowing it would kill you…

It was lucky, really, that the undergrowth broke their falls. Even if it also broke a couple of bones.

Sapphire groaned in pain; rolling off her now throbbing arm, she knew without looking that her left limb had shattered on impact. The skinny teenager felt pain twist her mind, bruise her thoughts, so that she couldn't even think straight. She couldn't even concentrate. It was as though stress tremors tore through her entire being.

Red.

A name. Someone she knew. Someone who was in danger. Sapphire opened her eyes a fragment and let the cloudy morning light seep through her pupils like water through a sponge. Now her vision swam red as well. Something dreadful had happened. When she found the person in trouble, he might be stained the color of his name. He could be in even worse shape than her.

Except, she couldn't move.

A rustling in the nearby bushes told the girl that something was coming. She tensed; bad idea. Unable to help herself, Sapphire cried out in pain – just in time to see a couple of Neo grunts saunter through the bushes, grinning dangerously.

"We finally caught you two," said the woman. "Took us long enough to lure you into the ambush." Sapphire could barely hear her. Her head was throbbing too much… had she hit that too? It might explain the swimming vision and the massive headache… "…take her back with us, and find the boy…" Oh, right. The boy. Red. Or rather, man, since he was well over legal age. But compared to these old hags, perhaps Red _was_ a boy…

That's when the woman's accomplice, a tall man with a bad blond haircut, tried to pick Sapphire up.

Even with the broken arm, she still had use of most of her facilities. Snarling, she lashed outward and bit deep into his arm, cringing in pain. However, she wasn't letting that distract her. She wasn't letting that filthy man anywhere near her. And what about Red? She had to protect him as well.

Meanwhile, the man just stood there for a minute, unaffected. The pain registered slowly. But when he felt it –

"Arggghh!"

_Uh, oh,_ Sapphire thought. She released just in time to roll away from what would have been a sharp kick to her ribs, which she suspected were cracked anyway. Every movement hurt, but Sapphire remained vital. If her Pokemon could take all kinds of abuse in battle, so could she, and she had to survive this. If only for the sake of her Senior and fellow Dex Holder. If only she had her Pokemon with her…

Wait. Pokemon.

Ohcrap.

A loud bark confirmed Sapphire's fears. "Poochy, go find that boy! Bring him back here." The Pokemon darted away through the swampy marsh. If anything could find Red, it was that dog, and Sapphire couldn't do anything about it! Instead, she was just… stuck…

She looked apprehensively at the man she now knew was a captor. After all, though she wore no chains, she couldn't move any more than a statue or an ice sculpture. If she tried to get away, he could easily cripple her with pain.

There was no way out.

"Well, come on, barbarian girl," he said, making to toss her over his shoulder like some kind of haversack, "the boss wants to see you now."

But before he could touch her, a strong voice (a familiar one, too!) called out clearly, "Stop!"

And there, amidst the tall grass, stood a confident Red, the Poochyena at his side. He sported what appeared to be an injured wrist, but he was as happy as ever.

The female Team Neo grunt glared at Red in shock. "That's… that's not possible!" she claimed. "That's _my _Pokemon. You can't just control it like some kind of –"

Red smiled as she couldn't think of a word. Sapphire couldn't help but mirror his good-natured expression. "Yes, I can," he told her. "He was hungry! You have to take care of your Pokemon. After all, they can be your best friends… or your greatest enemies!" He patted the Poochyena and fed it another bit of something from his vest pocket. "Poochyena, go! Get ready to fight!"

The two grunts grimaced and pulled Pokeballs out of their pockets as well. "We can't afford to lose!" cried the woman. "Everyone, go! Take these children down!" Snorunt, Grimer, Voltorb, Primeape… the number of Pokemon astonished Sapphire, who tried to crawl out of the way but found herself stuck, this time due to mud.

Red was still smiling when he enlarged only a single Pokeball to support the befriended Pokemon. The Poochyena growled threateningly; obviously Red's kindness treatment had worked quite well to reform it.

And so the battle began.

The massive hoard of Pokemon attacked as a unit. Sapphire could see that from the beginning. However, Red and the Poochyena dodged and focused on striking only when was safe. Red made a good coach, she noticed; he guided the Pokemon through the fight effortlessly and with confidence. He didn't let the amount of enemies phase him.

It was beautiful.

However, the Poochyena became tired quickly, panting as it went in for a Bite attack on a Shroomish. "Return, Poochy; you've done good," Red said calmly, picking up the exhausted Pokemon and holding it like a baby. "Sapphire, are you okay over there?"

"Ya, I'm fine!" she called back. "Your arm…"

"My wrist," he corrected. "It's okay. I've had worse." He tossed a Pokeball through the air. "Let's see what you can do… Gyara!" A huge Pokemon appeared from the ball, towering over the group. "Team Neo! Leave… or we'll have to force you away!"

The two Team Neo members blanched a bit. The woman was calculating her options, apparently, but the man clearly wanted only to _leave_ without getting blasted.

Finally, she spat harshly. "Fine. You win." She tossed out a few Pokeballs, recalling her own Pokemon. Then the pair left.

Sapphire had barely had time to sigh in relief before Red appeared at her side, having recalled his own Gyarados. "Sapphire!" he said, worry entering his voice. "Are you okay? You look much more hurt than me."

She shook her head stubbornly, suddenly remembering that she was in pain… which consequently made her hurt even more. "No… I feel fine… I…" and she promptly fell backward, hitting her arm… which caused her to yelp in pain.

Red's good hand darted outward and gently steadied her injured arm, which only throbbed a little at his touch. "Hmm… this looks painful," he said. "We should get you to a doctor." He got up on his knees and held out his hands, prepared to carry her. "May I?"

Sapphire stared. Most men, in times of need, simply picked her up like some kind of child. Red was the first to actually ask beforehand. She suspected that he would be the last also. That thought alone caused the girl's cheeks to pink just a little. "Um… of course," she said, trying to be nonchalant about it. He gently scooped her up, taking care with her arm. If this hurt his wrist at all, he said nothing, continuing to smile as though he could take on the world.

After a bit of walking down the road, back to the town they'd just left earlier in the day, Sapphire said, "I still don't get it. How were you able to turn that Poochyena good?"

Red looked down at Sapphire. "Pokemon aren't good or bad; they're just like people! And that Poochyena didn't have a lot of love. All I did was show it that there are good people in the world!"

Sapphire stared up in awe at Red. He was so… so admirable! He cared so much for Pokemon, and he clearly loved them. Loved them above anything… or anyone. She wasn't even sure about that trait in herself.

No, scratch that. She definitely loved _someone_ a bit more than Pokemon.

"I tried to get to you, ya know," she blathered, trying to fill up the silence before her thoughts took on a dangerous turn.

"Why?" Red remained as oblivious as always, thank Arceus.

"Because I care about ya, silly."

Red laughed. "But, I'm your senior! It's my job to protect you, Sapphire."

Sapphire countered, "Oh yeah? Then what about that time with Yellow? Or with Emerald and the others?"

Red considered; he hadn't been thinking about situations like that. "Oh… well, those were different."

"No they weren't!" Sapphire bristled. "And I have just as much of a right to rescue you as they do."

"A 'right'?" Red laughed good-naturedly. "What, so that's something you look forward to? Protecting me?" Sapphire quickly checked his face. She couldn't believe it, but he wasn't trying to mess with her; he was genuinely asking!

Oh, Red.

"No," she said. Honestly. After all, to protect him would mean that he had an injury of sorts, which she did _not _want. "But it's something I would do any time, if you had need!"

"Same here. I'll always protect you, Sapphire!" Red smiled happily, and so Sapphire said nothing. She could live, knowing that someone she cared about could take care of her.

Even if _she_ wanted to be the fighter of the pair.

* * *

_**Author's Note**: I may have to write a mirror to this: Ruby x Yellow! That would be, honestly, adorable. I just have this… image… of Ruby glomping an adorable Yellow._

_Hmm, it has just occurred to me that Red's 'thing' seems to be carrying girls. Yellow, then Blue, even Lorelei one time! _

_Woo! Just a few more until SpecialShipping, gaiz! Hang in there! And next, I will be following through on a minor request. You'll see, and you'll hopefully enjoy it. :) _

_I love my reviewers! (Hint, hint, for readers not reviewing…) _


	10. MagmaJewelShipping: Burn

_**Author's Note**: If Sapphire were to end up with Red… it's only fair that poor Ruby gets a rebuttal! Hee hee, I said butt._

_It's MangaJewelShipping, which is Ruby x Courtney!_

_Quick clarification… Marge is the same person as Courtney. In the scanlation I read of PokeSpe, she was called Marge, but Courtney seems to be more universally preferred, so that's what I've used here. Anyway, enjoy! _

_It's AU. If you read the encounter between Ruby and Marge in Rusturf Tunnel, you'll know what I'm talking about._

_Writing this gave me a very good idea for a PokeSpe fanfic. All the Dex holders… they all have very unique talents, don't they? Well, what if they weren't on the good side? What if they went bad? This one… this one's only the beginning. I put up a few tentative summaries on my profile. Take a look, if you like the idea! And maybe I'll get around to them. EDIT: It's in progress, and it's a trilogy called 'Hollow'. _

* * *

**Burn**

"_After all, both the soft and the sharp were the same person."_

* * *

"_Are you… interested in joining us?"_

_The boy's breath came in harsh smoke-stained rasps. This girl… woman… she easily lifted his form off the ground. His Pokemon… burnt badly… he had to help them. But how? _

"_Tell me… do you want to join our team?"_

_Drat her. Drat her and all her big plans. There wasn't another choice. It had been this way before, for one of the boy's heroes. Join… or die. _

_Well, he didn't want to die. He wanted to live, and he wanted his Pokemon to live._

_The woman snorted impatiently. "Boy, speak up. I don't have the patience for this." Her Ninetales loomed threateningly behind her. Clearly, she wasn't taking chances. _

_He had only one choice left. And, honestly, it didn't look so bad anymore, amidst the haze of smoke._

"…_yes."_

_She smiled lazily, dark eyes narrowing the slightest bit. "You agree to join, then?"_

_His mouth was dry, and he could not speak for the smallest moment. "Yes. I will join Team Magma."_

_A slight upturning of the lip. "That's a good choice."_

…

…

Ruby turned out to be a strong trainer. Courtney had known that, of course. But his hidden potential… it was unbelievable just how strong he could be, if he wanted. It was not long before Maxie promoted him to the position of Admin, alongside _her_, and with his help, Team Magma easily destroyed Team Aqua.

This land-mass increasing thing… it would be a piece of cake.

So she had high expectations when Maxie decided that she and Ruby would accompany him, via submarine, to Seafloor Cavern.

The trip was silent. Technically, the boy seated at her side was equal in rank, but he still acted like her inferior. His eyes darted as they tumbled through the water. Those red, red eyes. They'd been soft and beautiful before. But now, they looked sharp and intelligent.

Courtney wondered which was the disguise – before she remembered her own transformation from a top-Coordinator to 'Magma Admin Courtney'. That silenced all wondering. After all, both the soft and the sharp were the same person. One had all the excess, while the other had been trimmed of everything besides the bare essentials.

In this case? Instinct and intellect. That was all Ruby and Courtney needed.

Meanwhile, Maxie was unreadable. The Red and Blue Jewels glowed through the denim duffel bag that contained them, and Courtney wondered yet again what they would use them for, and how.

No thought to consequences, though. Worrying about consequences was for the weak.

Suddenly, they heard the loud, rushing noise of water pressure. Maxie got up and climbed to the submarine's hatch, then slowly opened it. Grinning down, he beckoned them up, before retrieving the Red and Blue Jewels himself. "We've arrived," he told them. "The Cave of Origin."

…

…

Ruby's initial reaction to the Cave of Origin was, overwhelmingly, disappointment. "It's so… plain," he verbalized to Courtney. "Not dramatic or pretty at all." Maxie, of course, silenced the boy with a look, and the group headed down the lane.

Maxie seemed to know where he was going, but the other two followed blankly. At one point, Ruby nearly slipped into what appeared to be a bottomless pool, and he wondered, disturbed, how long it had been since anyone had been here. Probably no one, ever.

After all, it was the CAVE of freaking ORIGIN. It would defeat the purpose, if anyone had been there at the birth of the continents.

So deep in the ground, Ruby felt weak. He didn't like darkness, and darkness was perpetual, eternal, complete. Maxie seemed to be following his own signs. Right, left, straight… Ruby couldn't even keep up with the twists and turns of their walk.

The first thing he noticed was that the temperature started to change. It was heating up, not cooling down, and Ruby felt beads of sweat accumulate on his eyebrow. He glanced at the shadow next to him where Courtney should be and wondered if she was as uncomfortable as him.

And then there were two-toned lights in the tunnel. A red glow, and a blue. And they matched the orbs that Maxie hoisted by his side.

Panicking for no reason, Ruby suddenly wanted to run the other way, but it was as though he was trapped. He couldn't _not _go forward… but he would rather be anywhere else, than in a heating cave at the bottom of the sea.

Courtney grabbed his shoulders, which had a strangely calming effect on the boy. And she marched him onward. He shielded his eyes as they rounded the corner to the main event…

But Maxie stopped them before they could see what was ahead. "Courtney. Take the Blue Jewel."

She chewed her gum and smacked it once. "Sure thing, boss. What do you want me to do with it?"

He smiled deviously, and Ruby suddenly wanted to slap the Blue Jewel away from her, to run away from there. Something was very wrong here. "Just… hold on to it for me."

She did so, and Ruby felt, in his gut, that everything was about to go wrong. That there was no going back, and everything was ruined.

Wait, whose side was he on again? This final act would mean they had won.

Maxie took up the Red Jewel himself. Ruby's eyes widened, with slight fear and slight apprehension. Why was he even here? He didn't know. He was sure that his boss knew, though.

He certainly knew how to pull the curtain over his lackeys' eyes.

"And now… victory!"

An explosion rocked the cave, and Ruby latched onto the wall. Groudon. That was what they were awakening. Clearly, it was working. Somehow.

Then he saw something in the dim red light. Courtney, struggling on the floor. She looked like she was fighting with the Blue Jewel, and it was winning. Her facial expression read of great pain.

"Courtney!" he bellowed, jumping for his one true friend among the Magma members. He tried prying the orb away from her death grip, but no use.

"Ruby, get back!" she cried, kicking out at his legs. The ploy worked, knocking the boy backwards and into Maxie. Interestingly enough, their boss seemed to be undergoing a similar situation, except… he was actually succeeding.

"Ruby, stay away!" he shouted maniacally. "This power… all mine! MINE!" As he began laughing, another blast hit, this time dislodging several stones, which crashed to the ground all around them.

It was at this point that Ruby realized that Maxie didn't know what he was doing any longer. After all, he'd forgotten completely about Courtney, who seemed to have passed out on the ground.

Grimacing, Ruby knew he had to do something to help her. He gripped at the blue stone with all his might, and then pulled.

Finally, something happened.

The instant the Blue Jewel left Courtney's fingertips, Ruby received the brunt of the pain. Now he understood what she had felt… it was… terrible. He yelped, trying to figure out why, _why _this was happening to him, _why _he'd decided to take up Courtney's offer. He was dying…

…but then there was a blue light, surrounding him. And the sound of water…

The next thing Ruby knew, Courtney was carrying him and dragging Maxie along by the ear. "What…?"

Her coal-colored eyes met his. "You woke up Kyogre," she told him sharply.

"I… what…"

But Maxie was already there. Neither the Red nor the Blue Jewel were in sight, although Maxie seemed a bit more… toothy than before, while Ruby simply felt like he'd swallowed a Pokemon egg whole. The Magma boss gripped Ruby by the shoulders, lifting him clear off the ground. "I told you not to get involved!" he said.

He meant business, and he ignored all attempts by Courtney to stop him.

Ruby couldn't see clearly. That was why the first punch was completely unexpected. Ruby flew backwards, hitting the ground _hard_. That hurt. That really hurt, and now something red stained his vision also. He was sure it was blood.

Suddenly, the room shook again, and Ruby rolled away instinctively, somehow managing to avoid both Maxie's kick toward his ribs and a falling rock. Now the entire Cave of Origin was a battleground, he somehow knew. Groudon was no doubt awakened by this time, and so the two legendaries would follow their respective masters… into combat.

Ruby dully remembered something important… he had Pokemon. He flung his arm weakly, a Pokeball in hand. His Swampert appeared, thank goodness. The water Pokemon leered at Maxie, before roaring and taking a swipe at the man who had dared harm its master.

Maxie was too slow. Plus, he didn't think to send out his Pokemon in time. Swampert's blow knocked him into the bottomless pool, where he stayed.

Swampert made sure of that.

Ruby felt… drained. He stayed where he laid, not wanting to move again. It was like poison, that Blue Jewel was. It was like poison inside him (and he knew it now; it had entered him) and there wasn't a way to remove it. It was cancer, it was one of those diseases you could only get by doing naughty things with women. And it was stuck on his soul. It burned him.

Courtney knelt by his form. She took off the cap. Good; it was melting in there. Far too warm. "Ruby, you try too hard," she told him, scolding. He liked that, for some reason, and his eyes drooped. He was so sleepy…

Of course, he couldn't sleep. Courtney slapped him across the face. "Stay awake!" she yelled at him, glaring down. "Ruby, we're friends. You have to stay here and help me out, okay?"

He smiled briefly, remembering how they'd met. Funny how things turned themselves around like this. "Okay."

Ruby drifted, like a ship at sea without an engine, and he felt everything fade. And as he entered the twilight of his eleven years, the last thing he could see (or maybe it was an illusion) were two coal-black eyes, burning with something like fire.

* * *

_**Author's Note**: Review! It really does provide encouragement._

_That honestly wasn't meant to be so depressing. Sorry, guys. And I was gonna add another part, but I couldn't bring myself to do it._


	11. PanderShipping: And So It Goes

_**Author's Note**:Everyone, get ready! This pairing right here is one of only a few that I support involving Green, and it is the only one of those that makes SpecialShipping have absolutely nothing wrong with it. :3 After all, if (when) Red ends up with Yellow, where does that leave poor Misty? So, that's why we have PanderShipping. Green x Misty. I don't know why that is the name for it, but it made me want to include a panda in the story. _

_Hope you guys like it. But, wow. For a shipping I actually support, this turned out quite depressing…_

_I guess, by definition, this is a songfic, since it's centered around a song. It's "And So It Goes" by Billy Joel. I wouldn't listen to the song while reading this, unless you really want to smear your makeup. Really, I mostly liked the lyrics and wanted to include them somehow. But it sort of works, I guess. I don't own the song, by the way._

_Read and review, please!_

* * *

**And So It Goes**

"_Why was he always making the girl he loved run away?"_

* * *

_In every heart there is a room_

_A sanctuary safe and strong_

_To heal the wounds from lovers past _

_Until a new one comes along._

…

…

They met brokenhearted.

She knew that she could never be with the one she loved. Red was his name. And he was clearly falling for a different girl.

She was the girl of giving up, so it seemed. After all, she'd given up half of her Pokemon for her friends. Now Red had Gyara, Yellow had her old Omanyte… even Suicune had been forced to choose a new partner after a time.

Yes, Misty had given up so much for her friends. And so she wasn't terribly shocked when she found herself forced to give up Red.

Green, of course, was under a misconception. She was beautiful, and the tears running down her face reminded him of the ocean. And, of course, he didn't have a chance. He knew that. After all, Red was the one she was in love with, and that guy was as dense as a boulder.

Still he approached, completely unsure of himself. He was a fighter, but the battlefield of love was an unknown territory for him.

And as she slept on the steps of the Viridian City Pokemon Center, face still red from crying, he tossed his jacket over her still form. Maybe he wasn't Red, but he could at least help a friend.

…

…

_I spoke to you in cautious tones _

_You answered me with no pretense _

_And still I feel I said too much _

_My silence is my self defense_

…

…

"Misty… Misty, do you still care about Red?"

She stared out the window, fingertips tracing the veins in the wooden table, and Green instantly knew he had said too much. He abruptly tried to take it back. "Never mind. It's not important."

She turned one bright turquoise lamp toward him. Her eyes were so astonishingly _blue_, and he wondered why someone with such a pretty face always looked so sad whenever he was around. He sincerely hoped it wasn't his fault.

"…of course I do."

He hoped she'd go on, but she simply left it at that. She glowed a little bit in the mid-afternoon sunlight, and Green understood that he was just hurting her by staying there. He dropped some cash for their meal, then gently kissed her hand before leaving without a word.

And so went their first date.

…

…

_And every time I've held a rose _

_It seems I only felt the thorns _

_And so it goes, and so it goes _

_And so will you soon I suppose._

…

…

Green ran through Viridian Forest, listening carefully, eyes darting back and forth as he scanned the dark trees. It was his fault. Again.

Why was he always making the girl he loved run away?

He heard the sound he was listening for… a soft sobbing over the sound of the bubbling brook. He followed it… and there was Misty, sitting in a tree, crying slightly. "I didn't mean it, Misty," he told her softly, trying to believe it himself. "I shouldn't have said that."

She wiped tears from her face with her arm, staring into the stream. "Why is loving you so hard, Green?"

He honestly didn't know.

…

…

_But if my silence made you leave _

_Then that would be my worst mistake _

_So I will share this room with you _

_And you can have this heart to break._

…

…

Perhaps it was the way of lovers, to be so antagonizing.

This time, Green was the one upset. Still in his tuxedo, he went for a walk. Misty didn't follow. She understood his feelings all too well, after all.

After a while, he sighed. This was stupid. They were supposed to be in love. Why was he feeling like this? Or maybe it was just all wrong from the beginning.

He laughed hollowly as he turned the key to their hotel room. "That's it," he told her. She sat up from the bed, a cynical look on her face. "We were never meant for each other. That's why this isn't working like we wished."

She smiled wryly. "Green Oak… you certainly know how to charm your new bride, don't you?" He smiled in response and wrapped his arms around her figure.

And after that first honeymoon night, she whispered into his sleeping ear, "What you said earlier… you were right."

…

…

_And this is why my eyes are closed _

_It's just as well for all I've seen _

_And so it goes, and so it goes _

_And you're the only one who knows.  
_

…

…

"Daddy! Daddy!"

Green stumbled out of the Viridian Gym to see a young girl with shoulder-length brown hair. "Aquamarine," he stated. Only his eyes showed the smile that he had for the young girl.

Age wore well on the Gym Leader. Face longer, eyes both weary and alert, he seemed wiser than his years. He would, of course, deny that wisdom. In his eyes, every action he'd ever taken was a mistake.

Well, almost every action.

He had some sympathy for the action that resulted in the seven-year-old girl that had her arms around his neck. Her and those water-colored eyes.

…

…

_So I would choose to be with you _

_That's if the choice were mine to make _

_But you can make decisions too _

_And you can have this heart to break._

…

…

It wasn't meant to happen like it did.

Cerulean City was cloudy on that last day, a tribute to its former mistress. And as Green walked away from the final resting place of the one woman he had ever loved, he wondered how it had happened like that.

After all, they weren't meant to be. They had never been meant for each other. She was supposed to be for Red, and he was meant for loneliness. That was all he deserved, anyway. But he'd tried his best to give that girl the world.

And so it goes, perhaps. Green couldn't say what he needed to, before the end. But now, with graying hair and fading memories, he held on to the things that mattered the most to him.

A red-haired girl who cried over losing the boy she thought she loved, and a romance that was never meant to be.

…

…

_And so it goes, and so it goes _

_And you're the only one who knows._

* * *

_**Author's Note**: God. So bittersweet. I didn't realize that I could use such simple words to point out how complicated something can be._


	12. SpecialShipping: Stains and Sprains

_**Author's Note**: You guys… you've made it totally worth it. Twelfth story… and it's SpecialShipping! Sorry it took me so long to get to it! Plus, I've known what this one would be about since before AmberShipping._

_Happy birthday, Yellow. Here's your present._

_Also, I have a new rule about reviews. I love them! You knew that. However, in light of some recent stories I've read, I've come to realize that it might be prudent to ask people not to bash any other ships in the reviews. It's not that anything like that has really happened, but I'd like to prevent anything from starting. I will also refrain from adding my opinion into the ANs of shippings I'm not a particular fan of. That's not the point, and so. Onward._

* * *

**Stains and Sprains**

"_Yellow never wanted that night to end."_

* * *

It was Yellow's birthday, and Blue wanted her to go dancing with Red.

Not a chance, she'd told her friend. First and foremost in the seventeen-year-old's mind, that would involve her actually asking him to go dancing. Blue assured her that this was easily remedied, much to the blonde's chagrin. Still, she had a blatantly obvious excuse, and even Blue's craftiness couldn't get around it. Two left feet. Yellow couldn't dance to save her life.

She thought she was saved for a minute there, sitting in the park on the ridiculously sunny afternoon on her last day as a sixteen-year-old. She really did.

Yellow remembered Blue's determination – as well as her impossible stubbornness – too late when she spoke again. "Oh, fine. You'll go to a concert instead."

…

…

Yellow was not enjoying her birthday nearly as much as she'd have liked. Blue had woken her up at what seemed to be the crack of dawn to go shopping for a fancy dress.

More like hunting, really. She wasn't entirely sure she liked her newest outfit… "You're thinking too much! That looks really cute on you! Red will just love that dress. He'll be smitten!" Said dress wasn't exactly low cut, but it certainly exposed more skin than Yellow was used to showing. Plus, it had flowers on it, as well as a green silky thing for her waist. She could only wear it to nice events, which wasn't what she was used to. Still, Blue insisted upon the purchase.

Yellow felt the heat in her face – and her neck, too. Not that it took much to make the girl blush these days. "Blue, I don't know…"

Blue's eyes set. Yellow swore to herself never to cross her – or shop with her ever again. She was just plain scary. "No, we are getting this dress. Now go change while I ring this up."

Minutes later, the pair of girls found themselves on the Viridian City streets. It had taken Blue two hours to find a dress that satisfied her.

Thus, it was now ten o'clock in the morning.

Blue launched Yellow into what was turning out to be one of the most stressful days of her life! Yellow barely had time to gulp down a hurried croissant before the older brunette girl dragged her off to look at shoes and accessories for the outfit. Yellow ended up declining a pedicure to save her sanity; she didn't think she could sit still for so long. Not with these nerves. Instead, they went and looked at makeup, before Blue decided that Yellow should stick with the natural look, to "play up the cute" as she described it. And after a hurried lunch of sandwiches and fruit salad, they spent nearly three hours playing dress-up.

And, of course, not being allowed to see Red until their seven o'clock ticket time didn't help Yellow's nerves, either.

As she waited for Blue to fetch her, she paced the hallway anxiously. The whole affair was making her heart race like never before. And she'd already tripped a few too many times in her new shoes. Blue had insisted on the tallest heels money could buy, saying that, due to her short stature, she could pretty much get away with anything.

_Not that I'll be getting away in these shoes any time soon…_ Yellow thought apprehensively, watching as Chuchu darted up and down, also unnerved by her master's behavior.

"I'll be fine, Chuchu…" Yellow verbalized doubtfully. She wasn't fooling anyone, either, since Chuchu trotted over and rubbed up against Yellow's bare leg.

Then the doorbell rang.

"Oh no!" Yellow hurried as fast as she could to the front door and pulled it cautiously open. As expected, her face turned bright crimson, her mouth forming a nervous little pout. After all, who wouldn't be a little awestruck, seeing her hero, role model, and long-time crush wearing what had to be the most well-cut suit she'd ever seen? "Oh, Red…! Blue… I'm ready to go, see!"

She then proceeded to trip down the front steps and end up clinging to Red's forearm for support.

As both young people backed up a little, blushing, Blue smiled contentedly as she examined Yellow's dress. "You look great, Yellow!" she told her. "The pink really brings out the color in your cheeks… and you shouldn't cover up your shoulders so much!"

"Thanks, Blue," Yellow mumbled, casting her eyes downward, looking for some kind of distraction. Apparently Red had done the same thing, because they both said at the same time, "Come on, Pika, Chuchu!" After all, the two Pikachus had just found each other and were touching noses.

Blue giggled incessantly. "Aw, they're so cute!" she exclaimed. "I only have two tickets, thanks to Green. Big bully wanted to see the concert with someone!" She didn't look particularly angry, and Yellow had a funny feelings she'd done it on purpose. "Luckily, Pokemon don't need tickets. So it can be a double date!"

"Eh?" Yellow and Red responded simultaneously, not making eye contact with each other.

But Blue had already shoved the tickets into Red's shaking hand and skipped off down the road. "Byee!"

Well then.

…

…

"So, we're going to see Supersonic?" Red was examining the tickets as they walked through the doors at the Birch Concert Hall.

Yellow had been thanking Arceus that it was Red that she was with, and not someone like Gold or Green. He may have been completely oblivious to her crush on him, but at least he had enough sense to keep things from getting awkward. After the first few minutes of their proclaimed date (neither had denied it), the pair had started chattering again. Mostly about meaningless things, but it definitely was something.

Pika and Chuchu had been attached at the hip ever since they'd begun the short stroll to the concert. They weren't the ones that felt awkward about their relationship.

They weren't late. Blue, for all her wayward ways, was a punctual person, and she certainly knew how to coordinate an event. Thus, Red and Yellow managed to slip into their seats just in time to hear the band tune up.

"Do you know anything about rock music?" Red asked Yellow in a whisper, an eager look on his face. Pika sniffed his chin, obviously confused by something, then went back to watching the performance so far. Yellow, of course, shook her head, and then took a breath. She could do this. She could avoid completely panicking and making a fool of herself.

Throughout the performance, the pair stayed mostly quiet, though Yellow heard Red shout in excitement on more than one occasion. She did so as well, though; the quality of the music was something beyond anything she'd ever heard before. She still preferred the forest's song, but this… this was nice.

As the traipsed out of the auditorium, Red grinned broadly and linked his arm with hers. Yellow blushed, of course, but avoided falling over like earlier. "Let's go get some ice cream or something!"

Of course she went along. Why refuse? She liked ice cream… and she liked Red. Nothing could go wrong.

Wait, who are we talking about here? _Of course _something would go wrong.

…

…

Walking down the lamp lit street with their Pokemon… hastily denying the ice cream man's suggestion that they were a couple… sharing a bowl of ice cream… feeding the vanilla treat to everyone at the table, including each other, with the same two spoons… the evening passed in a blur, and before long, Yellow's carefully groomed hair had come down from its cute do atop her head, while Red had simply pocketed his tie and unbuttoned his shirt once or twice.

Yellow never wanted that night to end.

Unfortunately, no one ever gets such a wish to come true, and Red mentioned heading home at nearly midnight. They'd sat in that little café, sipping at various drinks and such, until the owner had pleadingly and very nicely asked if they could sit outside and enjoy the evening air so that he could close up. Even then, they'd talked for the longest time.

So Red took Yellow's hand, making her resemble Chuchu with her hair and cheeks, and led her back towards her little house.

That was when she accidentally stepped wrong. Not for the first time that evening, considering the shoes. But this time, she stumbled just once and found herself on the ground, ankle in a lot of pain and palms stinging.

"Yellow…! Are you okay?" he gently helped her to limp one-legged to sit on a set of stairs nearby, where he sat next to her and looked at her ankle.

"I'll be okay…" She really wouldn't. It felt terrible, and she wanted to cry a little. She knew that she couldn't use her Viridian powers on herself… she'd tried. "I… I don't think I can walk. The shoes…"

Red neatly undid the dainty white heels and slipped them off Yellow's feet, examining them. "These look like some kind of torture device! How do you walk in them?" Funny thing was, he didn't seem horrified, but curious.

Yellow chuckled weakly and said, "I didn't buy them. Blue did."

Red nodded, as though that was the answer he'd expected. Well, considering their personalities… "Here. We should get you home!" Red was ridiculously gentle as he picked Yellow up. "You're really light…" the poor boy was just lucky he didn't see how bright Yellow's face got in this particular instance, or else he might have thought about it for more than one second and turned the color of a firetruck himself.

For a few blocks, the only sounds were the Kricketots chirping in the bushes and the conversation that the two Pikachu seemed to be having. Then, out of the blue, Red decided to bring up something more serious than shoes or trinkets or the latest news or rumors of relationships between other Dex holders… "Yellow, how did you enjoy tonight? Besides, you know, your ankle."

She smiled, her head resting on his shoulder. Whether or not she wanted to deny it, she had been getting a little tired. "It was fun!"

"Good." Red also smiled, looking straight ahead with a broad grin on his face as the entered the outskirts of town where Yellow lived. "I'm glad! I like it when you're happy."

More silence. The entire walk had that anticlimactic feeling after a really good day, as though everything is falling through. After all, nothing can ever be the same afterwards. And things were bound to fall back into the droll everyday life as always. And Red would just be a friend again… or at least that's what he would think.

To break the silence, Yellow muttered softly, "I'll miss tonight, I think."

Red smiled down, and Yellow once again realized how handsome he'd gotten underneath that cap of his. Even his hair looked neater than normal when he chose to dress up a bit. "You wish it didn't have to end, don't you?"

"…yeah."

"Same here." Red laughed cheerily. Dense as normal, right? Yellow found it endearing. "If I were a certain Johto Dex holder…"

Yellow blushed for the billionth time, knowing what he was implying. "But you're not…"

"Nope." Red had to laugh again. This time, however, he made eye contact with Yellow, eyes glinting slightly mischievously for some unknown reason. It seemed that Yellow wasn't meant to know what he'd been thinking, however, because he said nothing. She ran her tongue over her teeth and looked away, feeling awkward for multiple reasons.

Yellow suddenly felt herself descending; looking around, she saw her front porch, well-lit. She'd gotten home without even realizing how close they'd been getting. She balanced on her one good leg, barefoot, and glanced away, not sure what she wanted to happen next. It was over. It really was over. She peeked back at Red, gaze softening. Even if nothing changed, it had been worth it.

He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, before smiling widely again. "Yellow… you had fun, right?"

"Um… yeah." She couldn't take her eyes off of his. What was going on? And hadn't he already asked that?

"Well… good."

Cue the unexpected.

Like a newborn Stantler, Red stepped forward, possibly by accident. What happened next was definitely _not_ an accident, as he hesitated, then leaned downward to kiss Yellow square on the lips.

Her eyes widened at the impact, pupils dilating, then she leaned in as well, accepting the gesture. Red backed up a minute later. Both, of course, had turned beet red, and neither seemed entirely sure what to do.

Yellow, in particular, nearly passed out. She was blinking widely when Red smiled and stepped back. "See you tomorrow!" he called out, strolling away with Pika on his trail.

It was several minutes before Yellow could really move again.

Once she recovered from her temporary paralysis, Yellow promptly went inside her house, closed the door, and made it to her bedspread before becoming catatonic. There was nothing for it; she was permanently stained the color of a cherry pie.

Meanwhile, a strange giggling came from the bushes in front of Yellow's house. And, with a rustling of leaves and a dash for the street, Blue disappeared for home, positively gleeful.

_Mission success!_

* * *

_**Author's Note**: Wow, a lot of my stories take place in Viridian City, don't they? Haha. And who did Green intend to see the concert with? Also, Red carries a lot of girls. It's just his thing, I guess… although it's Yellow's thing too._

_Also, I do believe that this was the first Shipping story that included actual PDA. Not sure whether this means that it is especially special… or that I've failed as a shipper. _

_Anyway. 'Red used Shock on Yellow! Super effective! Yellow is now paralyzed and may not be able to attack!'_

_God, I can't even remember what's up next. I just read Pedestal. All of it. Awesome fanfic, by the way, but don't read it unless you really want to lose a few nights of sleep. Not that it's nightmare-inducing… but it has 140 chapters. I caught up in 3 days. What._

_Read and review! Not my best work, in my opinion. (That was ChosenShipping, by the way.) But it _was _a rush job, since I haven't actually written anything since Sunday, which was the PanderShipping. And thanks to everyone who's reading, even if you choose not to review! _


	13. ItsumoShipping: Wandering

_**Author's Note:** This is ItsumoShipping, which is a fan name for Roark x Riley. It was a request from Starwings1. I've also seen it called 'HaganeShipping.'_

* * *

**Wandering**

"_They'd only met once, and yet it was like he'd known this guy forever."_

* * *

It was nine o'clock at night in Canalave City, and a nine-year-boy searched the street with wide eyes the color of rust. He couldn't help but worry; the hour was late, and the street was deserted.

Finally, impatience got the better of the boy. "Mom!" he called out. "Dad said he'd be back by now. I'm going to see where he is!" The boy tried to deepen his voice, to seem more masculine, but the words just a bit gruff, like someone had thrown dirt down his throat. Still, he donned an old grey jacket and headed for the door.

"All right, Roark! Be careful." The woman in the kitchen smiled as her son left. So like his father.

…

…

"Lu! Go. Use Feint!" A boy with hair like the night sky and wide, serious eyes pointed to the Bastidon, stance firm. In front of him stood his Riolu, who had an equally proud glint in his eye as the pair sized up the fifth Gym Leader of Sinnoh.

He wasn't losing. Not this time.

Meanwhile, a bearded, filthy man laughed. "You have a type advantage, and you're not even going to use it? Bastidon, Take Down!"

The steely monster Pokemon resembled a trash truck as it charged toward the lithe fighting Pokemon, who dove out of the way, barely avoiding the hit as the Pokemon rumbled onward. Surprisingly, the bluenette smiled mysteriously. "Who said I'm not going to use an advantage? Lu. Show him what you're made of. Use Reversal!"

Seemingly, a newer move. Riolu looked hesitant, then dashed after the huge Steel-type. And when Bastidon started turning to charge back the other way, Lu clung to his head, acting as an axel for the giant. And, just like that, the Bastidon became airborne.

That didn't last long. Not after Riolu released his grip and let the Bastidon understand why it was not a flying-type Pokemon.

As Bastidon crashed into the arena floor, the Gym Leader, strangely enough, smiled widely. "Ah… I've been beaten! Good for you, young man… Here's your badge!"

As the man reached out to drop the little metal piece into the boy's open palm, the doors to the Gym crashed open. "Dad, where have you - Oh. A trainer. Sorry to disturb you." He looked downward and averted his eyes, not wanting to offend his father or the stranger.

But the Gym Leader seemed to be in a good mood. "Ah, Roark! Meet Riley, my latest challenger."

Riley held out a hand. He was taller and a few years older. "Hello. I'm Riley. What's your name?"

"Oh… I'm Roark." The redhead smiled brightly as they shook head. After all, that is what gentlemen did, and his father wanted him to be a gentleman. "Is that your Pokemon? It's so cool!"

Riley nodded, patting the Riolu on the head. "Lu's his name. You have Pokemon?"

Roark shook his head, immediately embarrassed. "No, not yet. I'm only nine."

"Ah, well, no trouble. I'm twelve, so I'm just starting out myself. But you should get something solid to fight with. It would suit you and that grip of yours." Riley, turning back to Byron, smiled with a steely look in his eyes. "Thank you for the battle, sir."

Byron laughed heartily, having dealt with his fallen Pokemon. "It was nothing! I enjoy a good showdown between steel type trainers." That caught Roark's ears. Riley trained steel-types too? "Where are you headed next?"

"I was planning to get back to Iron Island, actually. My father's been having some trouble with his health, and someone has to act as the standing guardian. I can always continue my Gym circuit whenever I like."

"What do you mean?" Roark piped up. "Guardian of what?"

Riley smiled. "My family makes sure that Iron Island is a protected place where Pokemon can live and trainers can fight, both without having to worry about trouble. It's a rigorous training area. It's great!"

Roark was silent as the three of them started walking back toward the family dwelling as well as the Pokemon Center. His father started talking again. "Oh, Roark, he's right, by the way. You're getting something solid… but energetic as well. You can't afford to compromise on a good Pokemon, especially your starter!"

Roark nodded eagerly. "Okay." He wanted to know how Riley had learned so much about fighting. Plus, it was fairly clear that he knew more about Pokemon – and steel-types – than what it took to battle.

As if reading his mind, Byron continued. "Yes, Riley's a world-class Pokemon trainer. Moved back here from Johto after the training scene there got _boring_." He snorted, as though the prospect boggled his mind. "How can you get _bored_ in Johto?"

Riley shrugged, looking over to Roark and his father. "I don't know. Not mountainous enough?"

That was the day that Roark knew what he wanted to do when he grew up. Both halves.

He also knew that he couldn't wait to be a Pokemon trainer.

…

…

It was a long time before Roark saw Riley again. Years, in fact. Both had since challenged the Pokemon League and lost. After all, you can't win a tournament with one favorite Pokemon apiece, no matter how fair of a challenge it was.

Since then, Roark had achieved both of his goals. First Gym Leader in the Sinnoh run and an accomplished miner. Those had been his goals as a nine-year-old, and ten years later, Roark was proud to be the first Gym Leader of the Sinnoh circuit. He dealt mostly with little kids around age ten, losing on purpose to bolster their confidence in preparation for the rest of the Leaders. After all, they would need it, and it _was _his job. Either way, most of the people who challenged him were under the age of fifteen, with a few older teens.

That's why he wasn't expecting it when a man in his early twenties walked through the door one autumn day.

"Can I… help you?" Roark asked, adjusting his grey jacket. It matched the one his father had given him as a boy, even though he'd outgrown that one a long time ago.

The man smiled beneath a blue hat. Roark had to admit, he seemed oddly familiar… "You are the Gym Leader of Oreburgh City, correct?"

Roark hesitated, adjusting the glasses he had to wear for his vision's sake. "That's right. Are you here for a battle? If so…"

The man shook his head, and the black feathers in his cap shook a bit. He chuckled. "Roark, surely you remember me?"

He wasn't sure. Who was this guy?

But then he removed the hat.

"Riley?" Roark asked, already knowing the answer. That hair… those eyes… that smile. They'd only met once, and yet it was like he'd known this guy forever. He just wanted to prove that he was worthy of such a visit.

And Riley grinned good-naturedly back. "Of course," he said.

That was the beginning of something brand new.

…

…

Riley was an explorer. That much was true in all parts of his life.

"Roark, we should try something new. Would you like to come with me to Iron Island some time?"

Roark nearly spit out the cereal that he'd just shoved in his mouth. Riley was strange that way. He acted totally calm about things that threw everyone else off entirely. "What?"

"Iron Island. You know, for something different. We've not left Oreburgh since I arrived here three months ago."

Roark felt something rising up inside of him, but he wasn't sure just what. Something was very wrong. "I can't leave. You know that. I'm the Gym Leader."

When Roark looked at Riley, he realized that something truly was amiss. "Roark… you know that I have to go home some time. I've been a traveler all my life."

"So? You've enjoyed it here, haven't you?"

Riley sighed and adjusted his hat on his head. "Yes, I have enjoyed it here. But I think it's time that I try something new."

Roark remained silent, thinking. What was going on?

"I'm sorry, Roark…"

…

…

And so Riley left. That's how Roark ended up dead drunk and listening to classic oldies tunes, having locked the Gym for the day. He'd been in denial for too long, and he couldn't just accept it. But he had to.

Roark knew that he wouldn't see him again for a long time.

So ended the happiest chapter in the Gym Leader's life so far. He'd thought it would never be over, and yet it had to end.

He should have known that from the beginning, of course. Roark was happy for a time, where he was… but Riley wasn't the same way. He was only really happy when he was wandering.

* * *

_**Author's Note**:If you liked it, give that review button some love! Even a quick note of 'Good job' lets me know that people are reading. I mean, I know they are, based on the story traffic, which has told me that the stream of people who read the first chapters is pretty continuous, and it spikes around the last chapters, due to what I assume are repeat readers. But I'm a worry-wart and a narcissist, so give me a self esteem boost!_

_I JUST realized why Riley is named such. It sounds similar to Riolu. Oops._


	14. HaughtyShipping: Falling

_**Author's Note**: Alright, this chapter is HaughtyShipping! I'm not sure whether anyone actually requested this one… but most of the people who reviewed on CommonerShipping said they were HaughtyShippers. Hope this lives up to your standards!_

_Spoiler alert starting NOW._

_This was written when I thought that Dia and Pearl would be sucked into the Dimension World at the end of the Diamond/Pearl chapters. Now I know otherwise; therefore, this is considered an AU of such a scenario._

_Italics are dreams. Assume that any time there is a break between sections, she went to sleep briefly._

* * *

**Falling**

"_Surely he thought she was just an annoyance, just a girl to be protected."_

* * *

_Swirling light and sound. Time and space warped. The twisting of the body so that a person couldn't tell what was fiction and what was reality._

_That was where she found herself, trapped._

_One by one, her Pokemon and friends tried to attack this… thing… that was causing so much terror. It was going to destroy them. It was going to destroy the entire world. _

_They failed, of course. How could they? The thing… the enemy… it was just too strong, and it was crazed. She doubted it could even feel the pain of their attacks. And of course, they were on the run the whole time, trying to avoid being hit. After all, it could so easily kill them all. Destroy them so completely that they'd never make it out alive._

_And then, the thing, which towered like a mountain over everything, struck them down._

_They scattered, like ashes tossed to the wind. Thrown into space, into time, into the world. And they went dark, and disappeared from sight entirely. Sucked into something that could only be described as a warp tunnel in the middle of the universe._

_The entire time, she couldn't move. She just stood there._

…

…

Shaking and sweating, Platina Berlitz woke up. Her heartbeat hurt with every pang.

Sitting up, she looked at the landscape around her. It was a cloudy morning, which made her wince slightly. That meant rain, and rain meant misery for a trainer on the move.

Oh yes, Platina Berlitz was a trainer on the move. She slept in the wilderness now, something the formerly germaphobic girl had never dreamed that she would do. But she had to. She had to, for the ones she loved.

For the one she loved.

Despite all nightmares that stated otherwise, her Pokemon had _not_ been destroyed in the fight that had cost her friends their existence. So she sent out her Rapidash, and together they road off toward their distant goal, where she had been told she could find someone who could help her find her friends.

Distortion World and Giratina.

…

…

_There was a bicycle. _

_And she wasn't sure what to do with it. She never had quite known how to do athletic things like this. This had put her in quite the predicament, too; she couldn't tell either of the boys that she was totally unable to ride a bike._

_Of course, _he _figured it out pretty quickly. He'd always had that eye for detail that she half admired, half regretted. He saw right through her lies._

_And so he vowed to teach her, the way he promised most things. With enough energy to take on the world._

_Oh, how she missed that. Why was this happening to her?_

…

…

When she arrived at the Spring Path, she immediately found herself nearly lost among the emerald trees, the babbling brook. It was beautiful here. She could have lovely dreams here, were she to sleep… No. She needed to stay awake.

What was she expected to do here? They had told her that she needed to find Giratina, request a favor… it was the only way. He was the gatekeeper of Distortion World, and that was the only way to rescue her friends.

So, onward she marched.

She reached the cave before the sky turned completely dark. Caves… she hated them. She hated enclosed spaces. She hated feeling trapped, and that was exactly what she would subject herself for her friends.

As she wandered through the silent darkness, feeling oddly disconnected from everything, she wondered what Pearl thought of her. Surely he thought she was just an annoyance, just a girl to be protected. Or maybe not. Why was she self-depreciative in that moment? She was Platina Berlitz. She couldn't think that. Obviously, it wasn't true. Pearl thought she was a good friend.

The only question was whether he thought of her as _more _than that.

There was a whisper in the future, and Platina tensed. She was lost, that was a fact. She wasn't terribly worried; if she succeeded, she and Dia and Pearl could find their way out. They always had. They were a team.

Then, something hit her on the head, and she heard nothing more.

…

…

_Why hadn't she told him before?_

_They had traveled together for so long. The energetic one, the friendly one, and her. They had been her protectors, and they had done a good job of it. Moreover, they had kept her sane. They entertained her, and she eventually came to trust them with even her life._

_Pearl especially. He was taller, and he just had the look of being someone who always knew what he was doing, even when he had no clue. And he always wanted to help her. _

_But instead of telling him that he was the funniest, cutest boy she'd ever met, she always denied that she'd even laughed. Even when he asked her._

_Then they had been separated for a week. Only a week. But in that time, she came to realize just how much she missed him. Both of them. But him, mostly. After all, he was the one who made sure she was okay when she fell down. He was the one who would always teach her something new, even when she wanted to just go to sleep, or go home and pretend that nothing had ever happened._

_He was the one who did all those things. And what had she done? What had she said to make him stay? _

_Nothing. And in the end, he was ripped from her._

_She felt helpless, knowing there was nothing she could do to help him. And she felt terrible, knowing there was nothing she had done to make him feel the same way._

…

…

Something was after her. Platina understood this from the second she recovered from the bruise on the back of her head.

So she had to hurry. So what? She could do that. She could –

A sound in the darkness made her jump and start hurrying just a little bit faster.

Where was she? She could have sworn she had been in that spot before. This was more than a maze… after all, its master was the guardian of Distortion World. Perhaps he had twisted his lair simply to confuse trespassers. She would probably have done the same thing in his shoes.

And suddenly, she was there. And before her stood the most bizarre Pokemon she'd ever seen. It had to be Giratina. She just knew it.

And, for the second time in an hour, she felt herself collapse beneath her own weight and fall to the floor.

…

…

_She was inside something. Her mind was inside something._

_It took her a minute to understand, but then the answer was quite simple. She was inside Giratina's mind._

_Mortal, you are seeking me, yes?_

'_Yes. I need help. I want my friends back.' She cried out, trying to get him to understand and sympathize._

_Back from where?_

'_Distortion World.' After all, that was where they were being kept._

_And why, mortal, would you assume that I have them there?_

_Giratina… guardian of Distortion World. 'So you _are_ Giratina.'_

_Of course I am. _

'_Why did you knock me out? I was trying to seek your help!'_

_It is the only way I could speak to you. You are not like a little yellow-haired being I once dreamed about._

_Yellow-haired being? Still, she ignored the reference and asked the burning question. 'Can you help me?'_

_Maybe. But I must ask you questions. To see if you are worthy of my help._

'_What are your questions?'_

_I will start by asking… who are these people to you? The pair of them?_

_Platina saw them in her mind. Both of them. She felt affection when she saw both of their faces, even Dia's. After all, they were all friends together. And apart, they were no longer a team. 'Dia and Pearl… they are… commoners. Friends.'_

_I need more than that. They are not both the same kind of friend, are they?_

_If this had been reality, Platina would have blushed and turned away, and then lied. But this was her mind, and lying would not be the best choice. 'No.'_

_Then how is this 'Dia' you speak of different from 'Pearl'?_

_A vision came to mind. Just a musing, an imagined scene with Pearl's arms around her shoulders and his chin on her head. 'Dia is a friend. Pearl is… something… else.'_

_Pearl is not a friend?_

_She really had to spell things out. Oh. 'No! Pearl is a dear, dear friend. But I wish he was more than a friend.'_

_You wish to have this boy? Pearl?_

_How embarrassing! 'This conversation is going nowhere.' Nowhere good, at least. _

_Yes, you are correct, mortal… and why is it worth my energy to rescue them?_

'_Because they are good people. Because they tried to save the world, and were eliminated as a result. Because I was a coward and couldn't stand up for them. Because…'_

_Because of what?_

'_Because I l-love him.' There. She had said it._

_This emotion… love… it is a human one, yes?_

'_Yes.' A very foolish human one, that often got people in trouble._

_It is not the same for Pokemon, you understand. For Pokemon, mating is only to continue the species. It is the bond between trainer and partner that is the closest to this 'love' you speak of._

_Platina wasn't sure how to respond._

_For this bond, I will stand up. If you have a bond like that with one of these humans… I may do something._

'_Thank you! Thank you…'_

…

…

"Thank you…"

The words came out in the barest of whispers. Platina felt herself falling, falling through time and space, and she wondered if this was how Pearl felt when he was ripped away.

Except, there was the cold stone beneath her form, and there were more breaths than one in the still silence.

Still unconscious, she whispered, "I love you, Pearl," the words coming like smoke from her mouth.

And another pair of hands pulled her close and made her vision true. "And I you, Platina Berlitz."

* * *

_**Author's Note**: This was written on Saturday, but I decided not to release it until today. That means I wrote nearly 7,000 words in one day._

_Welp. review. I rather liked this chapter. Felt like a song to me. But hey, to each their own. And excuse the confusion in the last dream. It was supposed to be bizarre and throw the reader off, since that's what Platina was experiencing._


	15. OldRivalShipping: Raindrops in a Puddle

_**Author's Note**: And now for some OldrivalShipping_

_It's Green Oak x Blue, and once more, I'll explain my naming scheme. Hopefully, adding 'Oak' to Green's name has been a dead giveaway for all you guys, but for the record, Green is the boy, and Blue is the girl. There. _

_And, hey, if you're a ChosenShipper, read it anyway! I wanna know what you guys think. Is it barf-worthy? Or just mildly nauseating? _

_You guys know how Blue was kidnapped at age 5? Well, before that, she lived in Pallet Town. Green also lived in Pallet Town. So did Red, but we're not talking about him here. But. They were probably neighbors… which leaves us with what must be the fluffiest OldRivalShipping ever._

_From a ChosenShipper. Yeah, you know you like it._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

**Raindrops in a Puddle**

"_His grandfather called it 'character building'. He called it 'miser'ble wet'."_

* * *

She was always collecting things, he noticed. Every day, his grandfather sent him outside to play, and every day she skipped down the path, humming and picking up pebbles along the way. He would stare at her, bemused, until she disappeared from sight. He wondered many things, such as what she did with all the little rocks, and what she would have to collect when the pebbles on the path ran out. Genuinely concerned, he tried thinking of things to leave her to pick up.

He stopped this train of thought when Gramps caught him taking berries from the bowl on the table. The professor told him not to do that, because it would attract wild Pokemon to the path. The little boy, with his wide green eyes, vowed not to do that any longer.

And so the problem remained.

The little boy finally decided to just ask her why she collected pebbles. It seemed like a pretty pointless hobby to him, and he considered himself highly intelligent for a four-year-old.

On that day, however, it was raining when he was sent out to play. His grandfather called it 'character building'. He called it 'miser'ble wet'. He hated rain and anything to do with water. (Bath time had always been and would always be a 'miserable wet' for his caretakers.) So he merely sulked under the awning that covered the entrance to the lab.

And, for some bizarre reason, she still came skipping down the path, wearing a yellow parka and hat. This time, however, she wasn't collecting pebbles. She did carry a bucket, which the boy found quite peculiar.

"You look like a Psyduck," he declared, pointing at her.

She looked up, startled, then glared, putting her tiny fists on her hips. "Yeah, well, you look like a wet Mankey!"

The boy, who saw absolutely nothing wrong with looking like a wet Mankey, merely snorted derisively. "What are you doing outside anyway? It's all rainy!"

The girl was quick to point out that he was outside too. "But I'm going to visit my grandparents. My parents wanted me to." She stared at him with miraculously large sapphire eyes. "Where are your parents?"

"Dead," the little boy told her dismissively. It was hard to be sad about people he'd never even met and never would meet.

"Oh. Too bad. Well, see you later!" With that, she turned to walk back out into the downpour, refastening her hood firmly over her brown hair.

"Wait!" the boy called after her. "Why do collect pebbles?" He had almost forgotten to ask, and now his green eyes became wide with frustration.

She slowly stopped, then turned her head backwards to look at him. "Why d'you want to know?" she asked curiously. She wasn't mean-spirited, not one bit. But she definitely liked having the upper hand.

"I just… want to know." The boy loved understanding how things worked, including people. But he didn't know this fact about himself yet, and so all he had to go on was a burning desire to figure out why she loved pebbles so much.

She sighed and slowly walked back, and then she sat down on one step below the boy's step. "Mum told me that things come from other things," she explained, as if one talking to a small child. "That means that Geodude and Onix and Diglett grow from the pebbles! I can't let people just walk on them if they're going to become Pokemon!"

The boy doubted this. "They can't become Pokemon," he claimed. "Why aren't there any of those Pokemon from around here then?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "Maybe it just takes them a really long time to grow up."

"What about water Pokemon, then?" He pointed to one of the puddles, meeting her eye. "Don't water Pokemon come from rain?"

She nodded vigorously, smiling brilliantly. "Yes! Except, water Pokemon come from the ocean too. So there's a lot of them, even if I can't save every raindrop from landing in the puddles." Suddenly, the little boy understood what the bucket was for.

"What do ya do with the puddles, then?" If water Pokemon couldn't survive the puddles, then what did they do?

"You _jump!_" the girl squealed excitedly, pulling the boy from his seat. He struggled, but her enthusiasm overpowered him. "Like this!"

She dragged him, like a beached whale, through several puddles. Between the water on the ground and in the air, both quickly became thoroughly soaked and extremely muddy.

And it was _fun_.

The next day was sunny, but there were still many puddles on the path. She walked by again, and this time they had a grand old time, jumping through the muddy water and splashing each other.

And so it was for the entire spring, and most of the summer.

When she didn't show up to play one day (or any day after that), he wondered where she went. Professor Oak gave the boy a Scyther, to take his mind off the disappearance. And by the time that summer ended, she was gone from his memory, like raindrops in a puddle, or pebbles on a path.

* * *

_**Author's Note**:That's that! Maybe a bit of a cheat, yeah, but I'm the writer. I can cheat if I want. Also, Green and Blue are both rather articulate for four-year-olds, yes. That is because they're both very smart…and otherwise the story would be pretty plotless, eh?_


	16. PerfumeShipping: The Art of Fighting

_**Author's Note**: Here's a request that I'm answering. PerfumeShipping, which is Brock x Erika!_

_Keep in mind that this is the manga. The anime portrays Brock as a flirtatious, somewhat desperate guy, whereas he seems to be solid and hardworking in the manga. I don't know about anime!Erika, but I'm sure she is also different from this Erika._

_They're younger here. Neither is a Gym Leader yet. I won't say any more._

_This one was pretty difficult to conceptualize. After all, the only fanfic I could find for the pairing is animeverse, and it isn't as much a pairing as a funny story making Brock the butt of another joke. No fanart, either. _

_Enjoy!_

_**Warning: this chapter involves some violence and uncomfortable situations.**_

* * *

**The Art of Fighting**

"_The 'art of fighting', as so many put it, was not something she enjoyed or supported…"_

* * *

Lady Erika of Celadon City visited her garden every day at around eleven in the morning. She typically arrived punctually and spent about three hours caring for the plants and playing with her first Pokemon, a young Oddish. Her subjects knew to expect this routine and were informed not to interrupt her.

If anyone _were _to come across her, however, they would see a young woman, shoulder length black hair tied back with a faintly magenta headband, in traditional garb. She would sprawl herself across the leaf-strewn path, kneeling next to the flowerbeds. An Oddish would gently press its nose against her side, or run about her calm figure, or help her skillfully weed the small messy plants away from the begonias or daisies or pansies.

She would always have a peaceful smile across her gentle features.

Many things had changed in the young woman's life throughout the years during which she had grown up. The one constant for her was nature. She always found solace in it.

Though her father was the Gym Leader, she didn't much care for battling. In fact, she thought it a bit brutal. She loved plants and music. The 'art of fighting', as so many put it, was not something she enjoyed or supported. Still, she was somehow expected to take up the family mantel when she came of age. Something she didn't want. She'd take it, of course, but she didn't want it.

Either way, she didn't follow the Gym business the way some avid children might have. She didn't desire news of every single challenger her father had to face.

So she wasn't informed when a new trainer came to town with the determination and skill to take her father down.

…

…

Brock of Pewter City had a reputation to keep. Since the beginning of his journey, he had successfully taken on four different Gym Leaders, and as he prepared to defeat a fifth and earn yet another badge, he couldn't help but feel a tad nervous.

Entering Celadon City was a bit of a shock for him. He had been lost in the mountains on his most recent exploit, and it had taken him weeks to find his way here. Not a particularly hard journey, considering his own background, but the fact remained that Celadon, as a large city with a lot of buildings, bright lights, and crowded venues, was a bit of a change of pace for the rugged young man.

As he shouldered his hiking backpack and firmly walked toward the Pokemon Center, he stared at the huge, bustling city with nearly closed eyes. Honestly, the entire place hurt his eyes. Beautiful as Celadon was, it was too unnatural. Too industrialized.

He was a mountaineer by both birth and nature, after all.

So, instead of pining after the long trails and lonesome walks, he thought about the task at hand. The reason he was even here.

For the second time, he was facing down a Gym Leader who had a significant type advantage against his Onix and rock-type buddies. The first time, Brock had only won narrowly, and by chance. This second time, he wasn't sure he had it in him.

Losing wasn't an option. Unfortunately, he wondered if it was unavoidable.

…

…

The next day, the young trainer went exploring Celadon City, not wanting to rush into a battle for which he wasn't fully prepared. Knowing that the city was renowned for its floral roots, he decided to look for something… well… floral.

He found it, too.

"Hullo? Is anyone around?" he said cautiously, pushing open the cast-iron gate to a small garden. It seemed fairly public, and no one was around to stop him, at least.

There wasn't any sound as he walked past a couple of rose bushes and peered around a small cherry tree. However, it wasn't very long before Brock saw, on the path before him, a young woman in a yellow and green kimono, sitting comfortably among the ferns and examining a flower of some sort.

She was beautiful.

He didn't exactly sneak up on her. When his feet hit the solid brick path, she glanced up, smiling slightly. He stepped back slightly, feeling out-of-place.

"No, it's all right," she said kindly, and suddenly Brock was eight again, having accidentally knocked over his babysitter's milkshake. She'd also forgiven him, and then proceeded to clean up the mess herself. Yes, he'd made a mistake.

"I'm not supposed to be here, am I?" he asked, feeling awkward and adjusting his green jacket to cover up the silence.

She sighed and stretched gracefully upwards. "No, but that's all right. I'm the only one here." Always smiling, she stood. "My name is Erika. What are you called?"

"Brock."

She glanced at him sideways, as though evaluating him. Then she said, "You're a trainer, aren't you? You have that… air about you."

"Yeah, I'm a trainer."

"Here to get your Rainbow Badge, I suppose." She sighed indifferently and looked away nostalgically. "Well, I won't stop you. The Gym is just down the street from here."

Huh? Brock looked at Erika, puzzled. "You seem… sad."

She smiled sadly. "I suppose I am. I don't like it when Pokemon are made to fight."

He put his hand instinctively on the belt at his waist, where three Pokeballs were latched. He wasn't sure what to say. After all, that was what he had been raised to do.

Finally, he declared, "It's a useful skill to have in this world."

She sighed. "I know. I just don't want them to get hurt." She picked up the Oddish at her feet and hugged it protectively.

"But they want to protect you, if you treat them well enough." Smiling slightly himself, he turned. "It was nice meeting you, Erika…"

"Yes, Brock, the same." And as he disappeared from sight, the lady couldn't help but wonder about what he'd said. It didn't change anything. Not yet, at least.

…

…

It so happened that the young trainer Brock did not much struggle to defeat the Gym Leader of Celadon City, who believed in a spiritual battle of sorts. Erika's father, a kind man, tricked Brock into believing that he abused Pokemon. All in the name of observing him. By the end of the day, the young man received a Rainbow Badge and the respect of the Celadon City Gym Leader.

But that's all beside the point.

As he headed back to the Pokemon Center, feeling triumphant, he heard the sounds of a scuffle from the alleyway behind the Game Corner. Turning and tensing, he immediately dashed off in that direction, ready to brawl.

Familiar scene, really. Two big guys, hitting a little guy, trying to get him to give something up. Little guy crying. Big guys laughing. Really quite sad. In Brock's opinion, proof of society's inevitable decline lay in scenes like this.

"Hey. You shouldn't do that," he told them calmly. Meanwhile, tanned knuckles curled tightly around a Pokeball in hand. One that he didn't specialize in, but still something quite useful.

One of the thugs laughed at the young trainer. "What are you gonna do, boy? Fight both of us?" They lost interest in the one guy, turning toward Brock instead. He smiled grimly; he could handle a couple of thugs. He had before.

Meanwhile, the little guy ran off, but they all heard the sound of sandals brushing the pavement. And when Brock turned to see who it was, he caught sight of none other than Erika, the girl he had met earlier.

Oh, great.

She looked alarmed at the sight before her eyes, and she stopped in her tracks. Bad move. "Brock…?"

"Lady Erika!" cried out the second thug in faux-admiration, grinning even more widely. "Join us for some tea! Maybe you'd like some entertainment?''

"Thank you, but…" Erika tried to back away, but one of them was already after her, and suddenly his arm was around her neck and everything was moving too quickly…!

Brock felt his arm go taut, then release the Pokemon in hand with a battle cry. "Mank-eyyy!" screeched the Pokemon. "Go, Mankey, help her out!"

The fighting type pried the man away from a terrified Erika. Meanwhile, the other guy raced over, anger in his eyes. "I'll kill you!" he screeched, forcing his hamlike hands downward, attempting to put Brock into a headlock. No dice; the rugged trainer reflexively tossed him over his shoulder, knocking him into the wall. One down.

The other man grappled with Mankey, who was surprisingly struggling. The thug was strong, after all. "Hang in there, Mankey!" Brock called out to his Pokemon. "I'm coming."

He raced across the alleyway, gently wheeled Erika a safe distance away, and accepted the palms of the attacker. "You… must… lose…" the guy pushed out through gritted teeth, shoving Brock backwards. The fight didn't go the way he wanted, though; in the same maneuver as he had used on the first bad guy, he neatly flipped the man into the wall. Neither of them would be attacking anyone any time soon.

"Are you okay?" he asked Erika, rushing over and putting his hand on her shoulder. "That was a bit of a shock."

"You… fought them off…" she managed to get out, before Brock realized that she had been hyperventilating for some time.

Uneasily, he tried to support her with his good arm; the other had been injured slightly in the fight. "We should get you to a doctor."

And that's when Lady Erika of Celadon City, in all of her ceremonial garb, went into a dead faint in the middle of the street.

…

…

When Erika woke up the next morning, sunlight hit the petals of a new flower pot that sat on her bedside table. "I'm home…" she said in wonder, admiring the pale colors of the delicate cornflower.

Just then, she noticed a handwritten note; the writing was a bad scrawl, still legible. Moving her hands into the sunlight, she blinked heavily to try to read it.

_Erika, you are safe now. I hope you aren't offended, but I had to leave. Your parents didn't like me hanging around for your recovery. Take care, Brock._

So Brock had saved her life, and then made sure that she made it home okay.

She owed him quite a bit. And now he was leaving, before she could even say anything to him. Before she could even apologize.

Hurrying to the front of her house, she raced out into the street and down the road. She couldn't afford to miss him! The Pokemon Center, through the sliding doors… "Nurse Joy! Have you seen a young trainer with dark hair and tanned skin? He would have just received his badge!"

Nurse Joy looked slightly alarmed. "Lady Erika, calm yourself! Yes, he checked out of here this morning. He said he was going to go through the mountains south of here to get to Fuchsia City. Why? Is something the matter?"

Dismay filled the young woman. He was gone, left that morning. All she had were a few words… and a statement, of course.

Brock had saved her life using a Pokemon. She hadn't realized that Pokemon could be used in such a manner. Not just for sport, but as a source of protection. As friends who could watch over someone.

If that's what being a Pokemon trainer meant, then she could accept that.

"…No, it's nothing," she told Nurse Joy. And she left, feeling slightly more cheery as she resolved something in her mind.

That day, when Erika returned home, she asked her father to teach her how to fight with her Pokemon.

* * *

_**Author's Note**: In my opinion… interesting story, bit of a weak ending. Oh well. Tell me what you thought. I can always do to improve._


	17. FairytaleShipping: Heal You

_**Author's Note**: So, I was going to upload this on Saturday, but the site was being screwy, so here we have it. _

_This one is back to my typical dose of pure crack. I thought I was naming it OlivineTowerShipping, but it turns out there's already a name for it, which is FairytaleShipping._

_Anyway, it's Lance x Jasmine, and I just now realized that this is my first Lance shipping. Lance and Green are my two favorites from PokeSpe. It seems I go for the spiky-haired ones. Jasmine's a lucky chick, I will say that much._

_Nothing more. Enjoy._

* * *

**Heal You**

"_With a sharp pang, he realized that he felt an emotion toward her, and it was pity."_

* * *

He was like a raptor. He roosted high above Olivine City in the barebones structure of what would become a tribute to commercialization.

And he saw everything.

He saw a fisher's boat arrive and depart, along with a much larger boat. He saw a boy with long red hair, and that boy saw him back. He watched a young female trainer with blue pigtails on the side of her head come and go, like so many others.

He didn't see much beauty in this world, though. Oh, there were the Pokemon, of course. But the Pokemon he had seen were tormented by the pollution, wild with rage toward some human or other who had hurt them, beaten down by cruel trainers. How could he find beauty in any of those? There was only hatred and pain. Further reasons to go back to the way he'd been. To find another way to destroy mankind.

There were very few reasons not to return to that, actually.

One of those? The girl who stood at the top of the lighthouse, daily, attempting to heal an Ampharos. He had surprisingly good vision, and he could tell from the gentle way she moved and handled the Pokemon, she was concerned about its health. He was, too; he could tell that it was injured, and it had an infection.

But helping the Ampharos would mean leaving his tower. And that would hurt his still-healing body. His cracked ribs, his cut-up sides. Most of all, his isolated heart. He'd been alone for too long. Or maybe he had always been alone.

Finally, as the Pokemon weakened and could no longer support its own weight, he made his decision. Climbing down from the tower, he slowly made his way toward the lighthouse, ignoring looks from the inhabitants of Olivine City. He had become immune to scrutiny long before.

However, walking did hurt, and so even the short march to the tower, and the climb after that, took him quite a while.

When he finally reached the top, panting and holding his ribcage, he saw the girl, as expected. Still, something about her presence there threw him off, causing blood to rush to his face. The fact that she was wearing a white sundress and had neatly brushed her hair didn't help things, either. He was impervious to scrutiny, not female charm.

She glanced up, then turned her full attention to the man on the staircase, shocked. "Are you okay?" she asked. "Your… your breathing is irregular."

_Who is she, Nurse Joy?_ he asked himself, trying to stand up straight. "No… no, I'm all right. Tell me, how badly injured is that Ampharos?"

She looked away, clearly worried. "He's ill. I don't think he can last much longer, but I can't leave to get him medicine…" she sighed and looked out the window. "I haven't eaten in days, because I have to care for Amphy all the time."

He looked at the Pokemon, and then at the girl. With a sharp pang, he realized that he felt an emotion toward her, and it was pity. He pitied this girl, who cared so much for her Pokemon that she was willing to risk her own health.

"Go," he finally decided. "Go and get yourself some food."

She looked at him, reading his face, and after a tense moment, she finally decided that it was safe. "I will… I will return in a little while." She dashed away, her brown bobs bouncing down the stairwell, before he could say anything more.

He paced over to the Pokemon. Its breathing, heavily labored, came in short rasps as it lay, pained, on the floor. He had seen the symptoms before; they came as a result of industrial smog. In their least severe form, they would restrict a Pokemon's breathing and prevent it from battling to full capability. In most severe form, they would cut off the lungs entirely and effectively suffocate it.

Sighing, he leaned over and touched a hand to the Pokemon's neck. It opened one eye, meeting his, and then turned away again. He concentrated, allowing himself to fall into a trance, and then let the powers he'd been born with cleanse the Ampharos' bloodstream, remove the toxins from its body, and give it life.

In return, he felt drained. It was alright; what mattered was that the Pokemon would recover easily.

And as he felt a heavy exhaustion overcome his body, he wondered whether the girl would return.

…

…

When he awoke, she was still there. Since she did not need to tend to Ampharos anymore, he wondered why she had decided to stay.

She turned on her little stool and smiled upon seeing him awaken. "Are you alright?" she asked uncertainly, leaning forward toward his face and brushing a couple of stray bangs away from his eyes.

"I've had much worse." He tried to push himself up but failed. "Is the Ampharos alright?"

She nodded, pleased. "Yes, Amphy will be just fine." But then a worried look entered her face, and she glanced away, clearly thinking hard about something. "May I… ask a question?" He nodded. "How did Amphy get better so quickly? You did something…" she trailed off as he turned his golden eyes on her, silencing her.

"It's a skill I've had for a long time." He glanced toward the window. "Why are you still here, though? Surely you have something more important to do."

She folded her fingers. "You helped Amphy, so I'm going to help you. I'm going to stay here and make sure you recover."

And so she did.

* * *

_**Author's Note**: If Green is Jasmine's prince, then Lance is the dragon._

_BAM. Story idea. I need to stop getting those, or else I will never have time to write the actual story that I'm practicing for._


	18. DarkStoneShipping: Bad Influence

_**Author's Note**: DarkstoneShipping! Can't remember who requested this, but it's Gold x Platina. So much fun! _

_Seriously, though, this is the most difficult one I've written so far. All things considered, it took me over two WEEKS to think of what to write. One week on vacation, and all the time up to today, which is a Friday._

_But, I finally thought of it. Here you go._

* * *

**Bad Influence**

"_She winced when she saw that mischievous grin; she knew it meant trouble."_

* * *

Professor Elm had done some science. He was very excited.

He immediately called together all his assistants and asked their opinion. For the first time in months, Green _and_ Gold managed to agree that the invention was rather awesome. Crystal always said that, to appease him. But this time, she was visibly excited by the thing.

And so it was decided. The new thing would be shown to all the other Professors.

The invitations were written in Crystal's neat print, Gold's messy scrawl, and Green's fine cursive. They were sent on priority, and the recipients arrived just days later, from Hoenn and Unova and Sinnoh and Kanto. After all, Professor Elm had something very important to show them, and so the Dex holders would answer.

Since Crystal was busy helping the Professor with his research, Gold and Green had been told to greet all the newcomers from the different regions.

One of the pair was more suited to this task than the other, and it's not the one you think; Green tended to be polite and welcoming, while Gold had this odd habit of flouncing up like some uppity girl and just in general displaying exactly how a person shouldn't behave toward some of the most respected professionals in their various fields.

Okay, not 'odd' so much as annoying. Not to mention disrespectful. But Green would do no more than merely give him a dirty look and move on.

The Professor from Sinnoh, named 'Rowan', happened to arrive late. Not to mention bringing company, of course. "Hello, I am Professor Rowan, and this is my young assistant…"

And that's when a certain someone interrupted. "Nice to meet ya, Professor! Old Man Oak's in there (cue glare from Green) with the others." Gold, of course, promptly grabbed the hesitant professor's hand and shook it.

He also attempted to grab the girl's hand, but she tugged the limb away as though his hands were filthy. "Hey, what was that for, Hat Girl?" Gold hadn't had enough time to think of a suitable nickname, and so 'Hat Girl' it was for the time being.

She widened her eyes and tilted her forehead up slightly. "You may call me 'Miss Berlitz' or 'Missy'. I would rather not touch someone's unclean hand. And could you please point me to the lavatory?"

Gold was practically floored.

Green took over from there, shooting his junior yet another dirty look. "Just around the corner to the left." He promptly hefted her things and headed off to deposit them in the room where she would be sleeping.

And as the girl in her little dress disappeared around the corner, Gold was still thinking, 'There's someone _more _serious than Crystal?'

…

…

"This device will allow people to more easily carry large amounts of Pokeballs!"

The entire group of scientists and science enthusiasts stood around Professor Elm's table, and Gold stood there as well. He had little interest in science. He did, however, like girls, and there were two very attractive ones in this room. So that was where he decided to hang out. At least until he got hungry.

'Missy, eh…' he thought to himself as Elm showed how the device was used to reduce Pokeball size even further. 'Some nickname. I wonder what her friends call her.' He looked her over again, observing how comfortable she seemed around the Professors. 'I wonder if she even has any friends.'

She certainly resembled Crystal, that was fact. They both carried the same posture, the same manner of holding their heads of blue hair high with pride and satisfaction. They even both wore similar clothing to the lab, with pleated skirts to their knees. Also, their lips had this little pout that made the teenage boy's skin crawl.

Of course, that was the moment that 'Miss Berlitz' picked to glance his direction.

He hadn't realized before exactly how _intense_ her eyes looked. They were a dark shade of silver, like the metal ancient samurais had used in their swords. And as he stared in shock, her expression didn't change, as though she were observing him. Solving him like a puzzle.

"Platina, what do you think?" And her attention was gone, off to discuss the stupid new invention.

'So 'Platina' is her name,' Gold thought, grinning. 'I must remember that…'

…

…

"So, Hat Girl, where're you from?"

It was two hours later and there were refreshments. It was formal attire, and so 'Hat Girl' had her hair up in a neat do on top of her head. Overall, she looked graceful and superior in a way that even Crystal couldn't beat. Meanwhile, Gold had donned a black suit with an amber tie. He also looked well-put together. For now.

He still hadn't done anything about his hair, though. He couldn't bring himself to flatten his characteristic 'explosion' style.

She sipped daintily at a glass of punch, barely looking up at the inquisitive boy. "I'm from Sinnoh, but that should be none of your concern. And please don't call me that."

Gold glowered. "Hey, you can't just come here and treat me like that! I'm older than you."

"Perhaps you should act like it then."

When she turned away, Gold looked practically awestruck. No one had _ever_ simply scorned him like that!

The resulting emotion, however, was not anger, but awe.

He stepped around her, so that he was facing her front once more. She winced when she saw that mischievous grin; she knew it meant trouble. "So, Platina, what do you do for fun?"

Her eyes widened. "How did you learn my name?"

"I've heard it used a few times. Do you have any other names?" For some reason, those golden eyes… she thought she might be able to trust this boy, even though her brain cried _no, no, no!_

"Missy."

He grinned as he pointed to the door and walked toward it, gesturing for her to follow. "Missy. I'll call you that, then."

…

…

She didn't even realize he was leading her out of the lab until they were already on the dusty streets of Goldenrod City, where Elm's second lab had been erected. Gold yawned, ignoring the protests of his companion. "It's boring around here," he said to himself, looking around. "Maybe we should look for some fun."

Platina glared at him; she'd never met a bigger jerk in all her life! "Please release me! This is undignified."

Gold, looking down at the girl, commented, "Don't ladies know how to have fun?"

He wasn't sure what he expected, but it certainly wasn't what occurred: for her to straighten up and smooth over her expression. "Of course we do," she told him.

"Really? Doing what?"

"Lots of things. Reading, learning about the latest inventions, sunbathing…"

Gold grabbed her hand, dress and all, and adamantly dragged her down the street. "Come on. We're going gambling."

…

…

As it turned out, Platina had a knack for gambling unforeseen by the Johto boy. She watched the icons spin round and round, then…

_Clickclickclick-ding!_

And when she collected her prize, Gold marveled at the Dratini in her hands. "How… how did you do that?" he asked, jealousy covering his entire facial expression.

She looked a bit amused, but nothing more. "I just… did."

And as they returned to the lab, Gold vowed never to underestimate another girl. That _always _ended badly.

* * *

_**Author's Note**__: Well, that's that! Not my favorite. It's been a _long_ vacation. Hopefully the next one will be back to my normal rhythms._

_Did you see the mention of Unova? Does that mean that B/W characters may now be included? … maybe. But I want to see them involved in some REAL crack pairings. You know me, you know me. Pair White with Ruby! Green with Bianca! Volkner with N! …Professor Oak with Ghenis or whatever his name is. You know I love it. _

_Next up… Well, you'll just have to wait and see!_


	19. MizuhikiShipping: Angel

_**Author's Note**: Now this particular shipping is a rather short story. One-sided MizuhikiShipping. They're both much younger, too. Like, twelve and thirteen._

* * *

**Angel**

"_And suddenly, wreathed in a halo of lamplight, she sat, golden hair glowing like an angel's."_

* * *

Cyrus saw her first in Amity Square. It was nighttime, and he was going for a walk. He liked nighttime, and he liked walking. Simple as that.

Considering its proximity to one of the biggest cities in Sinnoh, Amity lacked the city sounds that filled the air just meters away. The silence which fell over the area caused the turquoise-haired boy to smile in relief at his Sneasel. There wasn't much he loved more than peaceful evenings with his Pokemon. Took his mind right off all the dangers the world was facing.

Then he heard it. The light tinkling of piano keys, pressed expertly into a simple melody.

Cyrus looked around for the source. He felt as though he should be irritated by the music disturbing the peace, but strangely enough, he couldn't find the anger within him. He even walked a bit, tripping over his too-long jeans, searching desperately to figure out what it was making that beautiful sound.

And suddenly, wreathed in a halo of lamplight, she sat, golden hair glowing like an angel's.

For more than one minute, he simply stood, listening to a tune about sadness and heartache. For some reason, the song made the girl smile, cheeks glowing with delight. A Gible sat on the bench next to her. She couldn't have been older than twelve.

Abruptly, she stopped and looked up from her keys, solemn then. She caught Cyrus's eye. He felt sloppy and weak. In comparison, she was fierce, powerful, capable of tearing him apart with a single glare.

And she was beautiful.

…

…

The next day, and every day after, Cyrus went back to Amity Square to listen to the girl play the piano. He didn't want her to see him. He hid behind the bushes, or slouched in a nearby ditch. The only problem with these hiding spots was that he couldn't see her face if his nose was buried in mud.

It was still worth it.

Finally, after what was probably too much time, he decided to approach her. He had the afterthought of plucking a couple of flowers from the neighbor's yard, but by the time he reached his destination, wearing a shirt that reached almost to his knees, the flowers had wilted.

As usual, she sat on the bench, under the streetlamp, playing her heart out. He approached her, nervously shifting the makeshift bouquet between too-large hands, then tapped her on the shoulder.

The response was instantaneous; Cynthia's elbow flew backwards, striking him in an uncomfortable location. He fell to the ground in a rainstorm of pale yellow and pink petals.

"Oh! I'm sorry," she said, looking a bit guilty. "Are you alright?"

He grunted in response, working through the pain. Smoothing over his features, he replied, "It is okay. Even the lover recovers from his jilting mistress."

She merely blinked in response. That's when he realized his mistake; he'd actually quoted something in speech! As in, out loud. What a dweeb, she was no doubt thinking. She probably didn't even know where that quote came from.

So, Cyrus did what any boy would do in his shoes… continued blabbing. "You sounded beautiful," he said, "like the birds during summer."

That brought a blush to her cheeks, but Cyrus wasn't sure he liked the suspicion and doubt in her eyes. "Thank you, I guess." She was going to turn, but Cyrus grabbed her ankle, desperate and still seated on the ground. "Let go of me!" she cried out, twisting her foot away and kicking him in the face.

Then, with another superheated glare, she stormed off, leaving behind her music, as well as a rejected boy on the ground.

And as the little boy watched her leave for the first (but not the last) time, he hoped that he would see such a beautiful girl again. (And he would. He would also see the vengeance in her eyes, the strength in her voice taking him by surprise… as well as tearing him to pieces.)

* * *

_**Author's Note: **…and then they ended up together, traveled back in time, and had Volkner. :D_

_Is that crickets I hear?_

_Anything 'quoted' in here is not an actual quote. I made them up._


	20. JadeCrystallineShipping: Refrain

_**Author's Note**: JadeCrystallineShipping, which is Green and Crystal. I'm quite fond of it. Enjoy!_

_I don't own Pokemon._

* * *

**Refrain**

"_Unlike… well, certain other rude boys she knew, Green held back, avoiding drawing too close."_

* * *

As ashen rays of light died upon the hills that framed Pallet Town, a sheen of rain fell upon the valley. A few simple buildings hunkered down underneath the clouds, held by the bowl of grass and hills and trees. In the distance, a single shape moved, the petals of a bicycle turning up and down through the rain.

By the time her saturated figure made it to the entrance to Professor Oak's laboratory, huddled and cold, her pigtails had sunk to her shoulders. She grimaced and removed the elastic bands, letting the rain untangle the matted locks of blue hair.

A brown-haired girl opened the door a crack. At first she squinted at the girl's bedraggled appearance, but then her eyebrows retreated into concern. "Oh! Crystal. What are you doing here? Let's get you inside!"

"Thank you, Daisy," replied the girl on the bicycle, wheeling the muddy device just inside the door and leaning it against the wall. Daisy pulled a lab coat from the nearby wall and wrapped it around the younger girl. Nothing was said, but the grateful look that passed over Crystal's face was gratitude enough for the quiet woman.

After several minutes, Daisy managed to seat the weary girl in the living area, having removed her damp clothes but kept the old lab coat. She now had a mug of hot chocolate, a lap pillow, and a girl willing to sort through the mess that had become of her hair.

"Your hair is so soft," commented Daisy as she gently attacked the knots with a wide-tooth comb. "You ought to let it down more often; I'm sure my brother would think differently of you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Crystal questioned, stiffening. She turned slightly, and Daisy gently but forcefully held her head so that she could finish grooming the hair.

The words came like blood rushing to ears. "You can't deny that you're attracted to him. I've seen you… and he _is _quite attractive, so I've heard."

Just then, they heard the door slam open, and Daisy groaned. Crystal didn't even have time to disguise the blush on her cheeks – or the fact that the only piece of clothing she wore was the baggy lab coat – before Green Oak himself walked through the front room, glanced once at the two girls, then walked into the kitchen without a single comment.

"He's so daft sometimes," Daisy giggled quietly into Crystal's ear. "He probably doesn't even realize that's his lab coat you're wearing."

Crystal suddenly felt very warm in her face.

...

...

Later, Crystal retired to her rooms, donning some of Daisy's old pajamas. Highly embarrassed, she had revealed to the older girl that she'd come to speak with Green about Professor Elm's research.

Yes, the girl had reacted with her typical quiet laugh. Yes, Crystal had felt her heart pang, and she told herself that it would not do to feel so embarrassed. Besides, it was just a little crush. It would go away the next time Green proved his complete lack of affection. And besides, they both had work to do. They always had so much work to do.

There came a gentle knocking on the door, and Crystal said softly, "Come in." After all, she'd already wrapped her body in the warm blankets of the guest bed.

Of course, she would have actually stood up and walked to the door if she'd known it was Green who would turn the doorknob, look around cautiously, and enter.

Unlike… well, certain other rude boys she knew, Green held back, avoiding drawing too close. He refrained even from sitting down on the occupied bed. He wore a black polo shirt, which matched his attitude supremely. He slumped slightly in his stance, not lazily, but as though he was superior. That particular part of his attitude made Crystal feel… off-balance, to say the least. Like he was a prince, and he had yet to pass judgment on whether to kiss or kill her, the princess.

Then she nearly had to pinch herself, to remind herself that she was no princess, and that they were both peers and friends.

Peers and friends and nothing more.

Meanwhile, the brown-haired boy – man, she thought, since he had just had his nineteenth birthday – was staring at her oddly. "Are you okay?" he asked. "You've been staring at me for two minutes straight."

"No! No, uh, I'm fine. Sorry about that." Crystal adjusted her form in the bed. "Uh, hi. How are you?"

"A better question would be, 'What is Crystal doing in Pallet Town?'"

Crystal felt the lamp behind her head burn a hole in her cheeks. Figuratively, of course. "I was supposed to deliver some files for Professor Elm. About his new project? He wants you to look them over."

Green sighed, and Crystal realized exactly how weary he looked. "Of course he does," he sighed. "Anything else?"

"Uh, no…"

"Good night, then." And with that, Green started to walk out of the room, his voice never reaching above a monotone.

Crystal wanted to get out of bed then, but the day's exhaustion kept her pinned to her mattress. "Wait!"

He turned back, his silhouette dark against the bright lamp in the hallway. "Hmm?"

She couldn't help herself; words just came tumbling out. "You're one of my favorite people, you know?"

If his face wasn't always so serious, Crystal would have sworn that she saw a ghost of a snicker in his eyes, as though he was supposed to be someone else in a different life. But no, he was serious, smart, quiet Green, and he said nothing but simply waited.

Crystal had no choice but to continue. "You're just so polite and smart. I just wish I could get to know you better…" She practically cringed away from his reaction, knowing it could not be a positive one.

And sure enough, he grunted once, accepting the complement, and disappeared. Crystal did not see his blush, the way his eyes the colors of the trees widened slightly in shock and surprise.

...

...

Later, Daisy stopped by Crystal's room and sat on her bed, adjusting the curtains over the perfectly cloudy night. "It's okay," she said. "They all act like that most of the time. Especially when they're embarrassed." She chuckled quietly, and Crystal didn't feel quite so bad.

"Who?" Crystal asked, confused. After all, it couldn't be 'boys', since Gold certainly didn't act so reserved all the time. Any of the time, actually.

"Nerds," Daisy said, adjusting her hair. "You'll get the hang of it, if this keeps up. I certainly did…"

* * *

_**Author's Note**: I think I did this pairing justice, though I think it would take a full-out story to really get them together. I might be wrong, but still._

Review, please! Feedback is welcome.


	21. PearlBirthstoneShipping: Move It

_**Author's Notes**: In my opinion, there are four types of shippings. There are canon and semi-canon, such as FranticShipping and MangaQuestShipping; most people agree with them, with just a few exceptions, and those are often because people don't like one of the two characters or something. There are controversial pairs, such as OldRivalShipping, ChosenShipping, HaughtyShipping, and CommonerShipping. As in, the fandom is split fairly evenly over which pairing is 'better' or something. Both are (somewhat) possible, but it's almost impossible to see it from both sides._

_Then there are the two crack types. The first are ones like FeelingShipping, PanderShipping, and MangaPokeShipping. While many people agree that the pairings would be really cute, people normally have a pairing with one or both characters that they support more strongly (in this case, SpecialShipping and OldRivalShipping). Which is sad, because they often are very beautiful relationships that just aren't explored as frequently._

_And then there are pairings so crack, so ridiculous, that everyone – everyone – knows that they are completely unbelievable. And thus, everyone can laugh along with it, knowing that their favorite pairs are still safe._

_This is one of those._

_Here's some PearlBirthstoneShipping, on behalf of the wonderful Finesseful X. That is, Pearl x Blue. Hope you find this pairing as hilarious as I did._

_Seriously, though. There are fics out there that pair Ruby and Pearl. Why is there nothing to fuel this shipping? Nothing more. Go read now._

* * *

**Move It**

"_It was hard for him to fall asleep, since he kept picturing those big, excited eyes."_

* * *

It was that time of year again. Summer; when every girl wanted to travel, every boy wanted to relax…

Except for a certain young man from Sinnoh. He never wanted to relax.

"Speaking of Pokemon…" he called out from his seat in the back of the jet plane. He heard the answering call from near the front, and proceed. "Did you know that flying Pokemon are weak against electricity?" he asked.

The faint reply, "You don't say!"

"Yeah, any time your Pidgeotto faces down a Pikachu, it's bound to get struck by some lightning!"

"Now that's a real shocker!"

The groans from the other passengers on the plane told Pearl that the manzai was a total win. He threw the half-eaten apple in his left hand at the back of Dia's head. "Argh! You can't do that! Stay focused. What about rock-types? They can beat up flying types any day!"

"You don't say…"

And so went the duration of the plane ride.

By the time they descended through the puffy Kanto clouds and zoomed toward the Saffron City airport, Pearl had his nose against the window, excitement filling his being. Today he would get to meet some of the other Dex holders!

And once they'd made it off the plane at the airport and fetched their luggage, Dia's stomach was rumbling. "Do you think she'll have food for us?" asked the chubby boy hopefully, looking from side to side.

Pearl nodded sagely. "Of course," he said brightly. "Girls always have lots of fruit around, with all sorts of…" He trailed off as he spotted a sign – with their names on it. He hurriedly grabbed Dia's hand and yelled, "There she is!"

'She' being a girl with long brown hair and wearing a cute blue top and pink skirt. She smiled cheerily. "Hey, over there! You boys look lost!" She chuckled and waved her sign, which said: **'Diamond and Pearl! 3' **

Pearl dragged a distracted Dia over to the girl's side. "Hey, that's us!"

The girl laughed. "Great! I'm Blue. Nice to meet you both!"

Dia pointed at a nearby restaurant. "Nice to meet you, miss Blue. Call me Dia. Now, will we be stopping to eat any time soon…"

The girl was a very smiley girl, never _not_ cheerful. "I have some pizza waiting back at my apartment."

Pearl, always the impatient, picked up both his and Dia's suitcases easily. "Alright, great. Let's go!"

…

…

The taxi ride to Blue's apartment took minutes. Pearl, meanwhile, found himself distracted by the scenery. "Saffron's so big!" Dia observed, face in similar awe.

Blue nodded from the front seat, cheerful and slightly mischievous eyes twinkling at Pearl. He found this quite distracting. "Yes, that's why I moved here! It's so exciting!"

He remembered then that she was twenty-two and grown, while he was still a teenager at seventeen. That sobered his spirits up a bit.

Still, the arrival at the high-rise building where Blue apparently lived took his mind off the fact that he was a mere child in comparison to this classy, attractive girl in whose house he would be sleeping.

The sun, glancing off the building's reflective surface, hit both Dia's and Pearl's eyes, causing their eyes to literally twinkle with excitement. "That's quite a view!" Pearl commented, staring upward in bafflement.

Blue merely laughed. She did that often, it seemed.

After they took the elevator to the twenty-second floor, Pearl carried the bags off and waited by the door. Blue, smiling at him again and making eye contact (those _eyes_), unlocked the door with the flick of a key.

The apartment itself, roomy and comfortable, looked out over the Saffron skyline. Dia, ignoring the view, fell upon the lukewarm pizza on the table, while Pearl looked out over the city to the street far below.

"Lovely, isn't it?" Pearl turned to see Blue step around a potted plant and look fondly over her balcony. "That's why I bought the place! So pretty."

Dia mumbled something from the table, but Pearl didn't turn, instead opting to stare at the barely visible moon.

After dinner, he and Dia headed to the guest room, where they would be staying for a while. Dia rolled into bed, saying, "Senior Blue seems very nice, doesn't she?" He was so innocent, and Pearl couldn't help but smile at his best friend's childlike mind. He was as clean as the sheets he slipped into.

Pearl replied, flipping off the light switch, "Yeah, she's nice."

It was hard for him to fall asleep, since he kept picturing those big, excited eyes.

…

…

The next morning, Pearl woke up early. He'd always been an early riser, and he wanted to explore the apartment complex. It looked too snazzy to ignore.

Of course, Blue apparently woke up even earlier than he did. As he sleepily walked to the living room to eat a bowl of cereal or something, he almost jumped backward, totally startled. Then he realized in embarrassment that he still lacked the shirt he hadn't worn to bed.

You see, Blue sat in the middle of the front room on a yoga mat, moving her body in time with several more women on the television screen. And, of course, she was wearing yoga pants and a tank top that definitely did justice to her curves.

She didn't look disturbed when he returned, fully clothed this time; in fact, she smiled once at him then went back to doing what she had been doing with her arms in the air. Pearl had a sneaking suspicion that she was _used _to the male gender walking into her front room in the mornings to seeing her throwing herself around on the floor like…

He blushed and turned away; he shouldn't be thinking like that about a girl who had already been his current age when he was ten.

"Good morning, Blue," he said, breaking the spell on himself. He could avoid staring, couldn't he? He could.

He was halfway through his Honey O's when he saw Blue, who was balancing on one leg at that point, fall over.

"Blue! Are you okay?" he yelped, causing his spoon and chair to crash loudly to the floor in the effort to get to the fallen woman as fast as possible.

Meanwhile, she struggled to a sitting position. "Yes, I'm fine," she managed to say through gritted teeth. "I just can't manage to balance whenever I do that pose!"

Pearl thought for a minute, staring at the wall. Then, he held a finger in the air, blond hair flicking upward. "I know!" he practically shouted. "I'll teach you."

Blue, of course, looked amused. "Do you know how to do yoga?" she asked, smiling.

"No, but it can't be _that_ difficult, right?" He stood up. "Okay!" He picked up his right leg and held it parallel to the floor. "Here goes nothing!"

He spent three seconds suspended in midair before he, too, collapsed.

Blue started giggling, and he glared. "Not funny!" he exclaimed, pushing himself upright again. "Alright, then. I'll just help you hold the pose!"

…

…

Dia, a normally heavy sleeper, awoke to a loud clatter in the kitchen. Sleepily rubbing his eyes, he said to himself, "I wonder where Pearl is?"

And so he walked into the front room, where a blushing Pearl had steady hands on Blue's hips, holding her up as she stuck one leg forward and held her hands high into the air.

Blue smiled cheerfully, but Pearl looked absolutely mortified. He jumped backward, upsetting the reclining chair in the process and causing the older woman to overbalance and fall over once more. Dia had never seen his best friend move so quickly as he did in that moment, and that was saying something!

* * *

_**Author's Note**: Again, not my favorite. Still, I wanted to write something, mostly because there's this tide of emotion that's blocking me from writing most of anything besides 'Trailblazer', 'Hollow', and a new shipping project that I'm calling 'Box of Chocolates'. Plus, I'm actually working on two pieces for AlexandrianShipping. I'll pick one to post here, and then publish the other one separately. _

_Now I need to remember to add HometownGalShipping (Red x Daisy) and HealthShipping (Wally x Yellow) to my list, since my site where I keep the list is currently down._


	22. TeaShipping: Time Off

_**Author's Note**: And here's one of my favorite pairings. It's one of those where there's not really anyone else I can see either of them with… It's TeaShipping! Bill and Daisy, otherwise known as hope for all us nerd girls out there. And, I suppose, nerd guys too._

_Here goes. It's the cuteness._

* * *

**Time Off**

"_After all, he was so different from her, and so similar!"_

* * *

Daisy liked work. She was good at it, and it was something useful to do. As a matter of fact, she enjoyed being useful in general.

Days in the lab with her grandfather always had been some of the best times. Working with Pokemon was something that few people of her generation willingly did, and the opportunity to see how the amazing creatures reacted to her and her Chansey was irresistable. That must have been an Oak family trait – to love Pokemon unconditionally, sometimes even more than fellow humans.

So when she met a boy who was afraid of Pokemon, she wasn't sure quite what to think.

Bill, after all, knew technology. He knew how to take care of a computer and write a program and fix a database, or even hack a database, should the need arise. But at the same time, he didn't know how to tell when a Pokemon wanted to attack him or befriend him.

This caused him more harm than good.

"Have you ever been electrocuted before?" she asked, putting a moist cloth on his forehead. He was lounging on her living room couch, breaking out into a cold sweat and having several burn marks on his hands and arms. Half an hour before, he had arrived at her door looking both ill and injured at the same time. It didn't take the intelligent girl long to figure out why.

"No," he told her, pretty blue eyes rolling toward the ceiling and not meeting her own. He seemed out of it, to say the least. He couldn't concentrate his vision on any object in the room, least of all a pretty girl's face. He occasionally twitched in discomfort as well, his legs spasming upward.

She tutted gently with her tongue. "You really ought to stay away from Red's Pika," she said, smiling. For the seven years that they had known each other, neither had found the time or energy away from work to talk or get to know each other. Even worse, shy personalities made it nearly impossible for anything to happen.

He sighed ruefully. "I know," he confessed. "I just wanted to see if the electric voltage might reactivate my laptop; it's broken."

"Did it work?"

"Of course not; that was the first thing I checked. It's completely fried now."

More silence, and then Bill began breathing heavily. Fast asleep after his ordeal. Daisy checked his vital signs (pulse, breath, circulation) and then looked out the window nearby at the lovely afternoon in Pallet Town.

She thought about him.

After all, he was so different from her, and so similar! He did not dislike Pokemon, exactly, but he was no Oak. Then again, who was she to talk? She knew little about computers, and besides, such differences could be worked through.

Plus, he was also hardworking, quirky, a tad obsessive… they had too much in common to let their hobbies interfere.

She smiled at his messy hair, which was like a mixture of caramel and tree bark. It was like something awfully familiar, that she couldn't quite put a finger on. Like freshly brewed tea. She imagined that it smelled the same way, and resisted the urge to bend down and take a strong whiff.

Yes, she decided, they had some differences. But they could work those out, given time.

After all, if such opposites as Gold and Crystal could end up dating for such a long time, why not them? Why not them?

…

…

When Bill awoke, he was surprised to see wide green eyes and fluffy brown hair just darker than his own. "Have some tea," she said, holding out a cup and smiling sweetly. "It'll be a while before you can get back to work."

* * *

_**Author's Note**: Yay for adorable-ness!_

_Hee hee. I just realized, I put in the line, 'She imagined that it smelled the same way, and resisted the urge to bend down and take a strong whiff.' Apparently, a scent fetish runs in the Oak family. _

_However, Daisy's sentiments on Pokemon made me want to write a new fic – CrocusShipping, or Lance & Daisy. It seems like that would fit. But not as much as I love these two._

_And while we're on the subject, I went ahead and published the first of the AlexandrianShipping stories separately, since it turned out to be gameverse. It's very melancholy, so don't read it unless you want to feel apathetic for the rest of the day._

_I've got a lot more requests, so watch out. It will be a while before I get to them all. Of course, I do them out of order, so it's just that much more interesting!_


	23. IncautiousShipping: Slice of Life

**Author's Note**: Sorry this isn't out as soon as I'd have liked it to be. I couldn't write it on Friday because I had a slight medical emergency, and after that, I just got really, really busy.

Also, the fact that this took so long to write may or may not have anything to do with the fact that the pairing I was **trying** to write wasn't coming out right. I'll get to it eventually, I'm sure.

Anyway, this just popped into my head when I woke up. IncautiousShipping, otherwise known as Gold & Bianca. A good way to kick off any new Gen's characters' introduction to fanfiction will always be crack pairings, in my opinion. Enjoy.

* * *

**Slice of Life**

"_He grinned irrepressibly, and Bianca was struck by the strange similarity. It was a similarity that she found in the mirror every morning…"_

* * *

She was a small town girl; she never left Nuvema Town until the day she turned sixteen and received her Oshawott. After that, her fiery spirit was irrepressible. She wanted to see and do everything, and she wanted to drag her friends along for the ride.

Too bad they were busy.

"Bianca, you know exactly what I want to do. Become the Champion. I can't go exploring the world for no reason." Her friend Cheren was less than supportive, with his dour mood and glasses that shielded those green eyes of his.

She couldn't ask Black, either. After all, he was outside that morning, shouting his ambitions of Championhood to the open skies.

"Fine! I'll go by myself!" Despite the harsh words, Bianca's face lit up. How exciting! If she left on her own, she wouldn't have to worry about anything or anyone. She would be free! Free from her father's oppression, free from her friends' crazy ambitions… just free. Free to live. Free to taste the spice of the big city and the open sky.

As Cheren and Black stared in confusion as she cheerfully bade them farewell and set off for the nearest port city, she wondered why they were staring, mouths agape, as if they'd never thought that she would just up and leave their lives like she had somewhere better to be. Had they really never suspected that she would want more than the quiet winds of their hometown?

She was the impulsive one, after all.

…

…

"So, Excited Girl. Where did you say you're from?" asked an inquisitive Gold, expertly knocking the cue ball into a group of other colored items with his pool stick. He grinned broadly, and she smiled, not sure what he was on about.

"I'm from Nuvema Town! That's in Unova." She smiled cheerily at the boy she had just met a few minutes ago, upon her arrival in Goldenrod City.

"That new region? It got any good food?" He propped himself against the table, bored with the game. After all, he was wiping the floor with his opponent, who paled as he cautiously moved around the table to make his move. "Ah, never mind. Of course there's good food there. You just have to know where to look!" He grinned irrepressibly, and Bianca was struck by the strange similarity. It was a similarity that she found in the mirror every morning.

She wrinkled her nose, Oshawott butting against her skirt. "What about you?" she asked.

He waved an arm around. "This place!" he said. "Johto. Though, not from Goldenrod. I'm from New Bark –"

"Yo! Quit flirting with the lady already and make your move!"

It was Gold's opponent, and the guy looked _pissed_. "Aw, fine," Gold whined, pulling himself to his feet. "I'll just show you later, okay, Excited Girl?"

…

…

"…and that's National Park!"

"Wow…" Bianca murmured, green eyes glowing from the moonlight. After all, it was nighttime in Goldenrod City, and Gold had kept his promise. As they stood at the very top of Radio Tower, he had his hand firmly on her shoulder 'for safety'. Not that she needed safety, since she wanted to live on the exciting side of life.

And Gold certainly knew about the exciting side of life.

"Pretty, isn't it?" he grinned, pointing to its center. "That's where they have the Bug-Catching Contests. Great fun for _tourists_."

"I'm not a tourist!" she said, bristling slightly. "But I do want to participate. Sounds like fun!"

"We should check it out, then," Gold commented. Bianca yawned, leaning against the thin handrail, and he looked down in concern. "Tired?"

She tried to say, "No!" but it came out more like, "No…", further reinforcing the point.

Gold smiled winningly. "I'll make sure you get back to the Pokemon Center, Excited Girl. C'mon!" And he helped her back to the elevator, stifling a couple of yawns himself. After all, it had been a long day for him as well…

They boarded the nearly deserted subway and felt the ground roll underneath them as it sped toward their stop. Bianca sank into her seat and leaned against Gold's shoulder, barely able to keep her eyes open. "I'm so tired, Gold… thanks for showing me the city. I didn't know most of that existed…"

And she drifted off into dreamland.

Gold grinned, throwing his jacket around the younger girl's shoulders. "Just open those pretty eyes and take in a slice of life, that's all you gotta do…"

* * *

_**Author's Note**: There's that. I hope you enjoyed!_


	24. GracefulShipping: Moment of Surrender

_**Author's Note**: And so, here we have an example of one of my favorite Gym ships. GracefulShipping, or Wallace and Winona. Plus, it's practically canon! Changing it up a bit, though. Too much fluff in the last few chapters. And I didn't want to do a sad story, so we ended up with this. Next chapter will be funny, I promise._

_Messing with present tense. This was inspired in part by the song "Moment of Surrender" by U2, which is one of the best bands in the free world. Either way, listen to the song, it's gorgeous. This isn't a songfic, though._

* * *

**Moment of Surrender**

_"She cannot return to him. That would be a sign of weakness. That would be surrender."_

* * *

She is crumbling. She can feel it like she feels the wind lash against her face.

She stands like a statue on the tallest tree in Fortree City and hopes in vain (funny word, that one; it reminds her too much of what she'd given up, and why) that perhaps she will see a dot on the horizon. This dot would be of an air car, because he is far too glamorous to walk or fly like a normal person. Even with friends, he has always resisted the group's desire for outings that might disturb his hair.

Outings with her must have been an exception, she had decided long before. After all, he had been willing to ride on the back of her Altaria, or take a picnic high in the trees, or go camping.

That's the part that hurts the most, though. The knowing that he still wants her as much – if not more – than she wants him back.

_No_, she tells herself firmly. She cannot return to him. That would be a sign of weakness. That would be surrender.

And as everyone knows full well, she never surrenders.

She does, however, break down and cry occasionally, something which the inhabitants of her home have noticed. She disappears for days at a time, brooding in the woods. She takes spontaneous trips to Lilycove, just to watch the sun set.

Yes, she is crumbling. Erosion, she decides. An effect of wind… of wind and water.

…

…

He knows all too well exactly how many female Gym leaders there are in the world. But there is one who stays on his mind all day, every day. And it kills him, because she's the one that got away. The one that's never coming back.

He has many things to deal with. Many decisions, none of them easy. First, he knows that Steven Stone is still awaiting his decision as to whether he wants to take the spot of Champion or not. And frankly, he's not sure. After all, Sootopolis City is more boring by the day.

But then there is that tiny thread of hope. That little ounce of optimism that says, _she _might _come back_.

And then the cynicism kicks in and sarcastically says, _Yeah, of course she'll come back. Women absolutely adore guys that can't even make up their minds about simple, easy choices. _

Because that is the pointless choice he has to make. Whether to take every trainer's dream job, or to leave it behind for this stupid city in a volcano. Who made that decision, anyway? To live in a volcano. Like staring down the barrel of a gun.

Then again, love is like Russian roulette. Someone gets hurt.

Too bad it's him every time.

…

…

The next time she sees him, it's all business. His face is like a life line on a television screen, because he's out traveling and he can't be bothered to even meet with the rest of the Gym Leaders like a normal person.

Of course, she's already established that he is _not _a normal person.

For the second time in a while, though, she realizes exactly how different their opinions are. After all, he's a water trainer and it's completely natural for him to side with Team Aqua. Meanwhile, she trusts Flannery more than she trusts him, and so she picks their enemies, Team Magma.

According to Norman, though, they're both wrong. And so she stares in dismay as the normal-type leader walks out and crushes all her big plans to stop Team Aqua and washes away all his big plans to destroy Team Magma. Apparently, both are dangerous.

She notices, for the first time in a while, that she's once again competing with him in her mind. _Ah, a tie_, she decides. _We're both correct_. That's another thing she hates – being wrong. So they're both correct. Team Magma has to be stopped, and so does Team Aqua.

Still, the end of the debate means that the television life line is turned off and carried away, and so she's once more left with a nostalgic sense of longing that makes her want to slap herself until she stops being so dang silly.

He's just a man, after all. Men are stupid. Nothing to worry about.

…

…

His aircar is speedy, even in the most casual of times. But now he is flooring the accelerator as though he is on the run for his life.

The young boy in his passenger seat comments, "We're going really fast!" and he just smiles and nods. After all, he's not going to explain to someone untainted by the battle of love _why _exactly he wants to get so badly to the meeting of the Gym Leaders.

Foolish of him to think that a boy wouldn't be afflicted just because of his youth.

As soon as he sees his paradise on the horizon (heaven would have no water; only clouds and tree tops) he is instantly scanning every tree, every house and bridge, for a girl with purple hair and a flight suit that rivaled the Champion's cape for flamboyance. But no, she is nowhere, and his face falls. Ruby, who is too busy exclaiming the beauty of the tree house creations, does not notice.

Beauty is boring, he decides, because it is so tame. He loves beauty, of course. There is no denying that.

But she has never called herself beautiful. And she isn't, not in the same sense that he looks for in a Pokemon. But she is fast and sleek and strong. She has the fire of a volcano and the passion of an artist, all wrapped up into one nimble body.

And that is something with which nothing beautiful that he has trained can compete.

…

…

Like a hawk, she sees him in his stupid car before he's even caught a glimpse of her. Stupid of him, really. After all, he's looking on the ground for a girl who lives on clouds.

That's exactly where she is when he arrives.

She's never been one to be distracted by something shiny, though. "Sky Attack!" she screeches, feeling her body plummet toward the ground and absolutely destroy Sapphire's Blaziken, knocking both it and its trainer flat on their backs. Another victory.

Then the air car swoops down and a second, much younger male notices the girl on the ground and it's all chaos from there because Sapphire does _not _like this boy and he clearly does not like her either. Or something like that.

She watches as her new disciple makes angry eye contact with the boy in the white cap, and she's struck by a strange sense of nostalgia, accompanied by a sense of foreboding. There's tension between Sapphire and this new boy like something that is quite familiar.

Her own great romance.

She feels for them, just then. After all, if they are anything like her and the man of her dreams (and nightmares, lately) then they will not end well. She has already proven that a pretty boy with the fighting skills of a legend does not match up with a girl whose one goal was always to become the greatest fighting machine in the world… and failed to do so.

Well, at least, that's what she'd like to believe. After all, it would be so much easier for her to pretend that she could never be with _him_. To simply pretend it had never happened, and move on to someone like Brawly, who both shares her passion and energy.

But that's not how love works.

She makes eye contact with him. Not Ruby, since that boy is too busy glaring at his 'one true love' (she already ships them together, after all). Not the boy, but his master. His master in his white hat and teal clothing and impeccable vehicle.

Eye contact and the slightest nod lets her know that he also sees the resemblance in their two disciples.

She never surrenders.

But maybe she could make an exception.

* * *

_**Author's Note**: This is now one of my favorites. I hope you also enjoyed it._

_It occurred to me that perhaps I should stop taking requests, to avoid dying. No, not yet. But when the list gets too long, I will cut it off for a while._


	25. TriforceShipping: Indecisive is Okay

_**Author's Note**: Now, this right here is going to be a bit of a crack shipping, ._

_I was writing my story 'Trailblazer' the other day, when Flint showed up out of no where… and I realized exactly how awesome he is. And it's pretty awesome, don't get me wrong._

_So, I'm turning against whichever reviewer it was that requested AlexandrianShipping… and creating this._

_First, there is AlexandrianShipping in this story. That is, Volkner & Jasmine. (Go read 'Message in a Bottle' if you want pure AXS.) And then, there is SunnyShipping as well, or Flint & Jasmine._

_But I'm so much more creative than that, eh? So, I decided to make it my first ever…_

_…PAIRING of THREE._

_And such a suitable name for it, too. TriforceShipping! Flint, Volkner, and Jasmine._

* * *

**Indecisive is Okay**

"_He hid his true emotions in his afro and pretended that everything was perfectly fine."_

* * *

Every time he woke up, he felt it in the way that his shirt creased around his torso. He felt it in the way his feet stuck to the floor and accumulated dirt. He felt it in the way his hair didn't act just right, sticking up at odd angles from where his pillow had been.

Well, that may have been an occupational hazard of having a red afro. Sort of hard to control, don't ya know.

Still, he wandered through life in a daze, as though he couldn't open his eyes all the way. How peculiar. He had always been the one on fire. The one who would get excited about outings and meeting with friends and everything else that came his way. The one who would always be positive.

He supposed that Volkner's attitude was finally rubbing off on him.

How ironic. After all, it was his best friend's fault that he felt so _bored _all the time.

Flint adjusted his fancy yellow polo shirt in the mirror and sighed. He had the whole 'bright primary colors' thing going for him, but so did Volkner. And plus, Volkner had a ton more class than him. He actually spent some _money_ on that fancy blue coat. Not to mention his intense spikes.

Nah. she would never notice him. Well, okay, so she was a friend. They probably wouldn't be any more than friends. Especially if the other guy was around, strutting his stuff like normal.

So when Flint arrived via Drifblim in Sunyshore City for a day on the town with the pair, he found himself completely surprised when Jasmine ran up to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, said softly, "It's been too long…"

He agreed, but he didn't say that out loud, now did he? Instead, he just grinned the same old grin, hands stuffed into his pockets. "Hey now. Don't get too hot and bothered over there. Now, where is that other guy? You know, the one with the face…"

Volkner slunk down the street, his face a mask of apathy. If Flint hadn't known him for over ten years, he probably would have been just a little offended. Instead, he skipped cheerily over and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Hey there, loser! How's the Gym? You blown any fuses lately?"

"Only my own," the blonde said curtly. Then – "Now, why did you want to go to the lighthouse?"

"Oh, you know, something to do… I've been as bored as you lately. You're too strong, not letting any challengers through to face the Elite Four."

"Not my fault. You guys were the ones to hire me…" He had a point, so Flint promptly shut up. "Let's go, anyway. No point in standing out in this heat." He started trudging back down the road, toward the towering lighthouse.

Meanwhile, Flint realized that Jasmine hadn't spoken throughout the entire exchange. "You okay?" he asked grinningly. He hid his true emotions in his afro and pretended that everything was perfectly fine.

She nodded, shy. She was always so shy… "Yes, I'm fine… Why _do _you want to go to the lighthouse? That doesn't sound like your idea of fun."

Flint's face turned nearly the shade of his hair, but he once more pretended that nothing was amiss. "Nah, it sounds like perfectly good fun. I can't wait!"

And the sun was setting, too. That meant that the scene would be perfect. For… whatever ended up happening.

…

…

Well, as things turned out, the 'whatever ended up happening' was not in Flint's favor. As they stood on the lighthouse balcony, looking out across the sea towards Johto, Volkner murmured in his husky voice to Jasmine about how things were at home, and she talked about life in Olivine.

And Flint stood brutesquely in the background, pretending that it didn't bother him.

Then Volkner tried to grab her hand.

It turned out, that action was too much for Flint to handle. He mentally snarled, but it was all smiles when he grabbed Volkner's collar and led him out, mumbling something about needing to ask something.

They had barely walked around the corner when Flint punched Volkner hard on the shoulder. "What the heck, man?" the latter asked, hands up. "You just blocked me back there."

"Yeah, well, friends do that all the time. Anyway, if you weren't such a hotshot, this wouldn't be such a big deal…"

"Um, since when am _I_ the hotshot?"

"Since you tried… that."

Volkner, for all that he was shorter than his best friend, was not intimidated by Flint's sudden take on masculinity. He snorted, his upper lip being drawn back. "Since when is that something you should be offended by? She's not exactly hanging off your arm…"

Flint scratched his afro, confused. To be honest, he couldn't tell whether he was jealous of Volkner, or if he was jealous of Jasmine…

"Um, guys?"

They both turned - Volkner with his arms crossed, Flint looking ready to hit him again – to see Jasmine standing there on the platform, modest dress billowing slightly. Her eyebrows frowned at them, slightly frustrated.

Oh.

"You – ah – heard us, didn't you?" Flint relaxed his posture, instantly, stuffing all his feelings, frustration, and homoerotic confusion back into his hairdo. She nodded, and they both flinched. Stupid, stupid boys, really.

A long, awkward pause filled the room with stuffy silence. To their surprise, it was _Jasmine_ who spoke up first. "But… if you both like me, why didn't you just say something…?"

"Uh…" _Because we're stupid?_ "Because we didn't want to seem stupid."

Volkner rolled his eyes, surprisingly good-natured about the whole thing at this point. "You should have just told her, then. It's not like anyone has a different opinion of you."

Jasmine smiled slightly, thoughts brimming in her eyes. Unfortunately, neither boy could read them.

So Flint was left to ask the question. "Um, so I've got this burning thought. Which one of us do you choose?"

She closed her eyes, and she was silent for the longest time. Then she shook her head. "Always a competition… Okay. I'll tell you who I pick…"

…

…

They spent the next day walking the pier. Jasmine got one of them to buy an ice cream cone. Then they all sat down on a bench together.

"This is… unorthodox..." Volkner commented as Jasmine held out the treat. Like an irritable kitten, he stiffened, then took a cautious lick of the rocky road scoop on top.

"Aw, you don't mind." Flint preferred the cotton candy layer, and he accepted the ice cream immediately and voraciously.

Volkner's only reply was to snort and scoot closer to Jasmine on the bench, while Flint just laughed and pointed out a Flaaffy-shaped cloud in the midday sky, reaching over Jasmine to grab Volkner's hand as well.

After a long, desert-filled silence, Volkner finally spoke again as Flint finished off the last bite of the ice cream cone. "I guess I'll get used to it." And he bent over slightly to kiss Jasmine on the cheek. When he pulled away, his cheeks burned ruby-red.

Flint laughed like a little boy. "Aw, you're doing it wrong." He beamed and lifted one hand and daintily kissed it, like she was some kind of princess. "_That's _how you treat our new girlfriend."

Because, if he could have both his girl and his best friend, then maybe he didn't have to hide his true feelings anymore.

Even though an afro is such a good hiding spot for them. He would just have to find something else to stick in that massive hairdo.

* * *

_**Author's Note**: Now I need another Flint shipping. I need to make him pull something else out of that hair. A ring? Or… something else?_

_Hmm, shippings of three are a bit of a handful. I know of a few others that I would like to write… ChangeShipping (Gold, Crystal, Whitney); ConclusionShipping (Red, Yellow, Misty); PrismShipping (Red, Green, Blue); and ViolentShipping (Green, Blue, Silver). Yes, I like taking two people that like one person and throwing them all in a room together and letting them have at it, all in one fic._

…_That came out a lot more wrong than I thought. _

_If no one likes the groups of three, I won't write them. Oh, wait, that's a lie. I'll still write them, of course. That's what's so fun about this fic! I say I'm taking requests, and then half the ones I do are of my own imaginings. _

_Either way, opinions are appreciated! _


	26. GrantedShipping: Risk and Emotion

_**Author's Note**: If you reviewed the last chapter, sorry for not getting back to you yet. I will as soon as I'm not swamped by group projects and other writing obligations._

_Anyway, I finished the OldRivalShipping. I published it as 'Trainer Blue Used Thief'. Look it up, if you're interested._

_And here's some GrantedShipping by request! Lance and Yellow. I may be a SpecialShipper, but I really do enjoy this one also. It was gonna be Lance dying, but then inspiration struck. Hopefully, I didn't totally screw it up or something._

_Slight hints of SpecialShipping, FeelingShipping, and ViridianShipping. I couldn't resist, once I got going. And Yellow is, of course, the most shippable person in the whole world._

* * *

**Risk and Emotion**

"_Lance knew he was bad for her, and he told her so constantly."_

* * *

He wasn't tame. Not by the long shot. Yellow knew this, too. That's why she swore not to tell anyone – not her friends, not her family, _especially _not her hero – about their private, subtle relationship.

Relationship. Lance hated that word. It implied that he felt something for another human besides contempt. And he didn't. He told the nineteen-year-old girl that constantly, that she ought to leave him alone for her own good. She would just end up getting hurt.

Yellow would just smile and nod. She _knew_ what she ought to do. But this was a rule – the only rule – which she couldn't resist breaking.

…

…

Red wanted to take Yellow for a walk in the woods one day in the springtime. She agreed, hesitantly. After all, Red didn't know about Lance, or about the dilapidated cabin in the middle of the woods.

They wouldn't get that far, she decided, and came along.

Ironic, in a way. Ironic that it had taken Red twelve years of knowing Yellow to finally make a move. Ironic that just weeks before, she'd given up and moved on.

With Lance around, the moving on wasn't difficult.

Lance, after all, knew how to make her feel like a woman. He knew that she needed complements and honesty and trust. Lance knew he was bad for her, and he told her so constantly. He knew that she deserved much better. He didn't trust himself, and he always watched his step. But for some reason, Yellow felt safe in his company. Perhaps it was naivety. Perhaps it was just the knowledge that she'd defeated him once – and she could do it again.

Yes, Lance knew what Yellow needed. Red, in comparison, would lose out every time. He was just a boy. He didn't know the rules of courtship, as much as he tried.

"Yellow? Is something wrong?" he asked, and she realized that she'd been staring at the trunk of an old maple tree for a good while. She shook her head, not trusting her voice, and rejoined Red.

…

…

Green, who had always been a tad more observant that his rival-slash-best-friend, realized something was up when Yellow didn't come back to Viridian City with Red, instead claiming that she was tired.

In the past, Yellow would have gone with Red in an instant. She would have let him jerk her heart around like it was on a leash.

So something had changed. Or something was wrong.

He followed her deep into the woods, a full party of Pokemon on his belt. Unlike the narrow path through which the youngest of trainers could pass, the center of the forest was filled with all sorts of dangers. And for some reason, this was the path that Yellow had chosen.

He crept up the lawn to an ill-kept piece of property, scowling at the thought that Yellow would go anywhere near this place. But sure enough, he watched the door open then slam shut, long blonde ponytail disappearing into shadow.

Green knew better than to spy; he didn't want to be a peeping tom, after all. But the unshaded windows practically beckoned to him. And so, dropping down, he carefully walked to the window and peered inside.

Yellow… and Lance.

Granted, he hadn't thought about the dragon master in years, since he'd disappeared from Cerise Island. Granted, Yellow was an adult and could do whatever the hell she wanted. But that didn't stop Green from tensing up and struggling with the urge to jump through the window, to tear Lance limb for limb for daring come near the nicest girl he knew.

He ended up leaving without doing anything. And, frankly, he wasn't sure whether he should be proud or disappointed by this.

…

…

Lance noticed Green. He said nothing, though. The thought that someone _knew_ about them would bother her, he knew.

Him? He couldn't have cared less about what people thought of them.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, walking into the front room. ChuChu sat on her feet and chirped.

He shook his head. "No. Everything's fine." He gestured over his shoulder toward the kitchen. "I made soup."

She grabbed a bowl of the food and sat down on the rickety chair in the corner. He sunk into the couch. All the times she'd been by, she had never touched that particular piece of furniture. Probably better; after all, it was moth-eaten and as broken down as the outside of his old house.

Weird, though, that Yellow's standards kept her from sitting on such a disgusting piece of furniture – but allowed her to see someone like _him_.

She glanced up from her meal to see Lance staring at her, baffled. "Is something wrong?" she repeated, for a different reason than a few minutes earlier.

Again, he shook his head. "Just… wondering."

Yellow smiled, and Lance wished that she hadn't; such a radiant expression would get her killed in this stupid deadly world. Such a radiant expression made him want to lock her up – far away, safe and sound – just so that she'd never be in danger from another man again.

"Wondering what?"

"Why you're still here."

She kept that stupid smile on her face and looked away, eyes scanning the empty walls. Finally, she said, "Because you're the one I trust."

He scowled. "Why would you do something like that?" he scolded. "You shouldn't trust me."

"You're better than you think you are." She stood up and headed for the door; after all, the sun was setting and she had a bed of her own, thanks so much. "Remember… the past is just the past…"

…

…

_The past is just the past._

It was a week before Green told anyone what he had learned.

He didn't tell Red. He had enough common sense to know that it would break the guy's heart. And he didn't tell Blue, since she'd probably end up confronting Yellow or something dumb. Gold, Silver, Crystal… The more he thought about it, the more he realized that the only one he trusted enough to tell something this important was Yellow herself.

So, he finally opened up to the next best person. Daisy, his sister.

When he finally finished telling everything he felt, she met his eyes sympathetically. "Green, be careful. I think you need to work out your own feelings before you go telling anyone something like this."

He frowned, frustrated. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Someone needs to know. Lance is a huge threat."

"_Was_ a huge threat. Yellow trusts him now, remember that."

"Yellow's always been too naïve for her own good."

Daisy smiled and laughed gently. "Oh, baby brother, you'll understand someday." He scowled more heavily; he'd always hated that nickname. "For now, though, figure out what you think about Yellow before you figure out what to do about Lance."

"Fine," Green said, walking toward the door. He didn't stop until he'd run, run into the hills, then finally collapsed at the base of a tree in the middle of nowhere.

Sighing, he took a minute to pull himself together. He had to remember, he was _Green Oak_. He could do anything he wanted. He was powerful and strong, and he didn't need something stupid like _feelings._

Yellow could do what she wanted. Now, though, he needed to let some of the other Dex holders know what was going on between her and that freak from the forest.

…

…

"Green, are you okay?" Crystal asked. He'd called her and Silver to meet him at the lab, to talk about the problem.

Yes, the 'problem'. He didn't know another way to describe it.

"And where's Gold?" she added as an afterthought.

Green hadn't invited Gold to this meeting. That guy was almost as talkative as _Blue_, and he didn't want to risk Mr. Blabbermouth telling Red anything. Silver and Crystal he could trust. They were almost as secretive as he'd become over the years.

"This doesn't concern him," Green merely said. "We have… a situation." He explained about what he'd seen, about how he felt. "Lance is dangerous," he added. "I'm afraid he might be using Yellow to get to us."

"Like a hostage?" Silver played along. "But if this is a power play, why are they keeping it quiet?" He shook his head, silver eyes unreadable. "No, there's something else going on."

Crystal shrugged. "Lance has helped us in the past. I think he's changed." She tilted her head to one side. "Green, are you sure this isn't more… personal?"

"No! I mean, yes. This isn't personal." He tensed up, fists balling and knuckles white. "Do you think there's anything we should do?"

"There's nothing we _can _do," Silver told him coldly. Was it just Green's imagination, or was the younger boy just as unnerved by this situation as he was? "Just leave it alone. If it's one of _those_ relationships, it'll fall apart in two days. Especially if you encourage it." Silver left without another word, scowling more than usual.

"If you want, I can talk to them." Crystal sighed and stretched. "But I think your brain is just playing tricks on you. Trust Yellow; she has good judgment, even if she isn't always the most alert girl."

"Talk to who?" Green said wearily.

"Yellow… and Silver. He's as bothered by this as you are. Can't you tell?" She smiled. "Good idea, not to invite Gold. He would probably just march right out of here and go to confront the cute couple…"

…

…

Not that Crystal did much better. She waited a few days, then went to Yellow's house by the edge of Viridian Forest. She lived there alone, but she could tell by the way the front doorstep was covered in dirty footprints that Yellow didn't always keep to herself.

"Yellow, what is there between you and Lance?" Crystal asked softly over tea, and Yellow froze. Yellow didn't hide things often, which made this all the weirder.

"How did you find out?" squeaked the older girl, clutching the old straw hat and pulling it down around her ears.

Crystal sighed. "That's not important." Weird. Now she felt like the older one. "I just think you need to figure out why you're seeing him."

"…Why I'm seeing him?" she asked hesitantly. "Well, I…" she stopped short. After all, she _didn't _love him. Not after just a few weeks. And some feelings never change, no matter how long you try to push them away.

Crystal stood up, smiling softly. "Just think about it. I just want what's best for you." And she left, with Yellow flabbergast in her own kitchen.

…

…

"Lance?"

"What is it?"

"I… I don't think we should see each other any more." She looked down and away. Anywhere but those dagger eyes and calloused hands.

He smirked. Now he was the one hiding things. "Did you finally figure it out? That I'm not good for you?" He turned around and pretended to examine the one picture on the wall. A small painting of two Pikachu in a garden.

"It's… it's not that." Yellow sighed, blushing and messing with her hair. "I think I'm in this for the wrong reasons. _Because_ it's risky. _Because_ it's something new. And… I don't know if I'm ready for this."

He didn't reply. She left, and he still said nothing. Because he was angry. Because… because… well, he didn't know. All he knew is that he didn't want to share this old house with silence anymore. And that he'd been taking her for granted.

He should have figured that she'd come around and find her sanity again.

But he was finally feeling something, and that in itself was worth a celebration, right?

* * *

_**Author's Note**: I have this weird urge to write something really creepy. A romance story, except a creepy one. Like, someone killing someone else for love, etc. I just gotta figure out what character I can corrupt enough to do something like that._

_Anyway! Thoughts, please? I didn't get very many opinions of the last chapter. I would like to know if this was decent GrantedShipping. I liked it, of course, but you know me._

_Reviews are much-loved!_


	27. MangaPearlShipping: It Goes On

_**Author's Note**: MangaPearlShipping. Red and Platina. Before I wrote this, I would probably have said that I disagree strongly with this pairing. However, after writing it, I see that there is a huge potential for romance, even though it will never come to fruition. Thank you to Bionicle234 and BleedingSoul, an anon reader, for requesting!_

_I promise you're gonna love these next few chapters, at the very least._

_A minor detail; it's AU. Mostly because I was sick of writing pairings in which someone has to travel to another region._

* * *

**It Goes On**

"_Life went on, and so would she. Eventually."_

* * *

The first day Platina went to work at Special Works Inc., she wore a pencil skirt and tucked her hair neatly behind little yellow clips. She carried a silver briefcase by her side.

When she got to her floor, the blue-haired receptionist directed her with a polite smile to a cubicle down the hall, where she set up shop. There was a company computer there, as well as a few shelves and an outlet.

There wasn't much in the briefcase, but she opened it anyway, setting her few possessions along the shelves. She took just a minute to look at a single photograph, containing three people.

She almost turned it around backwards, but she didn't. They were her baggage, those two people, and so she'd keep them with her at all times.

Sighing, Platina sank into the desk chair and placed her head neatly in her hands. Life went on, and so would she.

Eventually.

…

…

People at Special Works Inc. were _mean_, Platina discovered. Oh, sure, the receptionist was nice enough, but the others were all gossips. They would stand around the copy machine and drink their chai lattes and discuss coworkers.

Platina knew this because two weeks in, heaven forbid, she actually had to _use_ the copy machine. She clutched the stack of papers to her chest and didn't meet anyone's eyes.

Or, she tried not to. "Hey there, Paper Lady," said a grinning guy with an extremely messy outfit. She looked up once, gave him the deer-in-headlights look, then turned away.

"Aw, you scared her," commented a brunette girl. As if Platina wasn't right there, feeding page after page and wishing that this stupid rattling machine would go just a _bit _faster. "Gold, be nicer."

"Good luck with that," snubbed a guy with long red hair against the wall. Out of all of them, he seemed the least attached.

But the peace didn't last long. As soon as Platina retrieved her papers and hurried away, still not sure what to say to the loiterers, she heard them lean in and talk in hushed voices.

As she walked back to her cubicle, head down, she passed another person who typed away furiously at a report. Her heels clicked on the tiles, and he turned. They exchanged just a glance – just a glance - before she kept going, and he turned back to his work.

The nameplate on the wall read 'Red'.

…

…

More weeks passed. Nothing changed, nothing got better.

Platina made more money than anyone from her hometown, and she was more miserable than she'd ever been in her life.

"Hey, you know, you don't have to eat here all alone," a voice said awkwardly from the doorway. Platina looked up sleepily, wiping a little tear from her eye as if nothing was wrong.

It was the guy from the cubicle next door. The one all the ladies talked about next to the copy machine. He looked even more handsome when he was standing and smiling, she decided.

"What… what did you say?" she asked.

"I said, you don't have to eat alone. Come on, we'll grab a bite." He grabbed her jacket by the door, and then hesitated. "You're so sad all the time, I don't know what else to do…"

How could she refuse _that_?

…

…

Lunch with Red wasn't nearly as bad as she'd thought it would be. A little awkward at first, as they picked at salads in silence, then ate their fish hurriedly. Every so often, Platina would sneak a glance across the table, wondering, _What's he trying to prove?_

Red paid. When he took out his wallet, though, Platina saw a little picture of his hand around the waist of a petite blonde. Looked like a prom date, looked like so much more than a prom date.

It seemed like she wasn't the only one with baggage.

After that, though, plans changed and they walked down to the park, where they sat on the edge of a bridge and tossed pebbles in and made little hushed wishes.

Platina had this sudden, inexplicable urge to let everything fall out of her mouth. To tell him why she was so sad all the time. Why she didn't bother making friends with any of the other ladies around the office. The reason why she didn't eat anything freshly baked, why she never listened to even the best of advice. Because nothing quite measured up.

She didn't say any of that, though. Instead, she stared at a group of three children playing and said in monotone, "It's hard loving someone who's so far away."

He glanced down at her, and his namesake eyes held something other than sympathy. They held… was that…

Understanding?

"You left someone behind too, didn't you? When you came here."

Red, apparently, only seemed oblivious to her feelings. She tossed a final stone in with a resounding, confirming _plop_.

…

…

It was Red who finally pushed her to the boss's office, held the door, and gave her an encouraging pat on the back.

He was always the one behind her, she decided, even more so than the boys she loved back in her hometown or her so-called-friends from college or the people who let her go off into the world without so much as a farewell or even a good riddance.

She walked up to the shiny gold placard reading 'Green Oak' and the man in the empty business suit. She stepped right up to the greatest opportunity she'd ever had and said, "I quit."

Red's arm over her shoulder as she walked back to her little cubicle protected her from all the stares in the world.

"Why are you still here, though?" she asked curiously as he helped her sort out the company's equipment from her own.

He examined a photograph in his hand – a picture of Platina and two boys her age, playing innocently as children in a park – to avoid meeting her eye, face turning a light tint of peach.

"I couldn't go back," he finally admitted. "I couldn't face her again. I was so… so stupid, I just thought she was playing around, joking about something like love. And I can't fix it anymore." He met her eye. "You can't let them go. Not like I did…"

…

…

The last day Platina walked out of Special Works Inc., she didn't look back. And the boy with dark hair stared after her. "It was worth it…" he decided wistfully, then turned back to his computer screen.

After all, life went on, and so would he.

* * *

_**Author's Note**: I wrote this backwards. Started with the last section and worked my way to the first. I think I'll do that more often._

_That seemed confusing. Please let me know if you didn't understand what was going on, so I can make it better. I love making things better, it's my favorite!_

_Anyway, review! Also, to the anon reviewer: I would love to write me some CraftShipping. And to the other reviewer: I wrote a MizuhikiShipping poem, if that counts. Check out my profile. _


	28. HatefulMemoriesShipping: On Love

_**Author's Note**: HatefulMemoriesShipping. In other words, Will/Blue. Thanks to whoever requested this. I refuse to go search through all those reviews. But it's quite a nice shipping, in my opinion._

_As for the four people who just now requested shippings… yay!_

* * *

**On Love and Affection**

"_No need to let bad memories scare her away." _

* * *

They'd agreed to meet in Dark Forest, a little-known location at the base of Mt. Silver. He could get there easily, just a few steps out the door of Indigo Plateau. Her journey was slightly more arduous, but that was only reasonable, since she was the one who wanted to see him again.

There was just one rule by which she must abide.

She couldn't be seen.

It was midnight, and she shivered at the howl of a Houndoom in the hills. Midnight, the only acceptable meeting time. When the fire-type Pokemon howled again, she clutched her cloak tighter to her chest and patted the hood, ascertaining that it remained firmly atop her chocolate brown hair. Onward.

No need to let bad memories scare her away.

But was it just a memory? The Houndoom hollers seemed to be growing closer… She bit her lip slightly. "Blasty, help me out here!" The water Pokemon appeared in a brief flash of red, growling slightly. "We have to go, we have to hurry…!"

"Going somewhere?" The brown-haired girl jumped, then turned to see the last person in the world she wanted to see. A tall blond woman, perched gracefully in a tree, gently laughed.

The gesture was not comforting, nor had it been intended that way. "Karen!" Blue hissed, angrily. "What are you doing out here?"

She shook her head. "Blue, you amuse me. Still thinking you're the one with the right to speak. This is my territory. Now, a friend of mine set off a couple of hours ago on a little walk, alone. You wouldn't know anything about that, now would you?" Blue hated her knowing tone, the way she smirked and acted so smug.

She kept a poker face, though, since she could play head games just as well as anyone. "Of course not. I just was going to train on Mt. Silver, with my friend Red." Sure, she'd believe that. Red was the sort to do stupid things like that, wasn't she?

Karen smirked anyway. "Right you are. Be sure to send Will this way if you do see him, won't you?" She jumped down and walked away, and Blue could have sworn that a Houndoom followed by her side like a ghost.

So Karen was convinced that she was headed to Mt. Silver. Not too bad. She could stick to that story, too.

Even so, as she fled from the clearing, she cursed under her breath.

So much for not being seen.

…

…

"You're late."

"Sorry, I ran into trouble."

"What trouble? Not a Pokemon?"

"Close," Blue replied dryly. "Your sister was wondering where you went."

Will stood from his seat on the old oak log nearby and stepped closer, hesitating almost. He chuckled lightly, saying, "I'm sure you gave her a reasonable excuse."

Blue smirked, eyes narrowing at the cleverness of her lie. "Of course! You know me."

Will threw back his head like a madman and laughed. "All too well, Blue." He turned back, head thrown sideways and arms relaxed by his sides. "Now… where did we leave off last time?"

Blue pretended to think for a long minute, before replying, "You were going to teach my Wigglytuff how to use some mind-altering move…" She trailed off, eyes wary. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Training like this?"

Will laughed again, but this time he walked over and put his hand on her shoulder. Like they were old chums, not former enemies. "It was your idea, my dear girl! You're the one who called me out here like this."

"And no one will know?"

"I won't be the one to give you away," Will told her. "Shall we continue? Or are you about to chicken out?"

Blue steeled herself. "No, let's go."

"Alright then. Let's head deeper toward the mountain…"

…

…

The first time Blue had trained with Will, it had been an accident.

No, not even that. It had been completely unintentional. She had been twelve and traveling and scared, and he had been fifteen and searching and cocky. He'd defeated a Fearow that had been terrorizing her, then tossed off a piece of advice.

"Don't let your guard down."

Then he vanished. She didn't even recognize him without his mask.

Ironically, she took that advice to heart. That was what helped her get through her ornithophobia, capture the three legendary birds, and ultimately defeat Will in their second unmasked encounter.

The third time they saw each other, also an accident, there was a war in Hoenn and he was busy trying to lose himself.

"What am I fighting for?" he asked her stolidly, sipping at a bottle of something that smelled suspiciously like vodka. "I… I don't know anymore."

Blue didn't know how to be helpful. Speechless, she patted him on the back and offered to buy him dinner (with stolen funds, of course, the one legacy they shared). He accepted, and they talked for a long time. They discussed their new friends (Koga and Bruno; Red and Green and Yellow and…) and carefully danced around the past. Because now the past was something that he avoided as much as she did.

The next time they met, he wouldn't look her in the eye, mostly because he only had one of them.

Not that he _admitted_ that, of course; he just wore his mask with one eye cut out and one eye covered over, and he laughed even more than normal. Blue took this in swing, and back was the old persona of laughing and giggling and winking and never taking anything seriously.

They battled like life was a huge joke. A huge joke, played on the pair of them.

After that, they found each other as often as they could (to get away from their new lives) just to battle or chat or anything. Once, they'd even gone shopping, to replace that _awful_ clown costume he insisted on wearing. Now, it was all in the tuxedo vest.

Except, there was still a void in her life, despite the love and affection (well, the entertainment and friendship) that Will provided for her. Blue checked her phone more often, returned home like a thief, all to avoid the prying eyes of that certain someone…

"How's the boyfriend?" Will asked sideways on their way to where they would train, breaking up Blue's thoughts.

"Oh? Uh, he's fine." She did not elaborate like she normally would have done, and Will gave her a funny look.

…not that she really cared. After all, she _did_ have a boyfriend, a boyfriend who loved her dearly. Or so she believed. After all, she hadn't actually heard those three words in almost three months. He was just so busy…

And so now, when Blue got a message on her PokeGear reading _'Where are you?'_, she nervously ignored it and turned back to the battle before her.

Will had sent out both his Jynx and his Xatu and called out across the little clearing, "Send out your Wigglytuff!" She did so, which he followed with, "Now, use Sing on my Xatu."

"Wigglytuff, use Sing!" she called, and the balloon Pokemon began humming a lullaby. Before long, the bird Pokemon curled on the ground and could not be disturbed. "…what did you say to use next?"

Will replied, "Dream Eater. Like this!" He pointed to his Jynx, whose eyes glowed a malicious violet. On the ground, the Xatu began cringing as the Jynx ate its dreams. "You try."

Blue cringed slightly, nervous about what she was going to do. "…Wigglytuff, use Dream Eater…" The Pokemon's eyes glowed as it seemingly inhaled the Pokemon's dreams. A successful attack.

Blue's eyes, however, were not on the progress she was making in her training. Instead, Xatu's infantile reaction to the attack drew her attention.

"Wigglytuff, stop!" she cried out, unable to take it any more. "Stop attacking." Her companion, turning away, smiled at her, and she took the opportunity to wipe beads of sweat from her forehead. "Good work. You can rest now…" she said, recalling the Pokemon into its Pokeball.

And she collapsed to the ground, in a dead faint.

…

…

"I had nightmares," she murmured, stirring slightly. She looked around, ascertaining her location, then met Will's eye.

He didn't mention her fainting; instead, he just stood from his position by the nearby stream. "Really?" He came closer, and Blue saw that he was carrying a wet rag. When he finally reached her spot on the ground, he sat down Indian-style and carefully placed the cloth on her forehead.

She nodded, causing the stream's water to drip down her face. "They were about us."

She didn't need to elaborate.

For a long while, they sat there, her breathing slowly in and out and him not looking at her, instead gazing out at the darkness around them.

Will finally broke the silence. "Nighttime isn't so bad, now is it?"

Blue laughed. "Nighttime's the best time! Great for stealing and sneaking around and spying and kissing…" She glanced up at his face, but then looked away. Her hand found her PokeGear, which she brought into her range of vision. Two more frantic messages. Great. She shot off a reply, claiming that she'd just spent the night waiting for the opening of a brand-new department store in Johto. Which meant, of course, she'd have to go buy some brand new clothes before she returned home again.

She hated lying. Too bad it was habit.

"When are we gonna change?" she asked then, blue eyes wide and childlike, and it struck Will how she hadn't changed, not even after all these years. Even though he's the one still wearing the mask, and she's the one that tried to run away.

"I don't know," he said quietly, then (of all things) bent down and kissed her on the forehead. "Good night. We'll try and train in the morning."

Blue didn't sleep well that night. She was too afraid.

…

…

Two days later, Blue went home, trepidation filling her stomach. She had no idea _why_ exactly she was so nervous. After all, she had nothing to be nervous about! Karen believed her lie, and there was no way _anyone_ knew about the tiny kiss she'd shared with Will. Not a chance.

There was a note waiting for her on the kitchen counter. She picked it up and read it while she walked toward the bedroom.

'_Blue – I took out the garbage earlier today. When you get home, there's spaghetti in the fridge. I'll be out until the weekend on business. Sincerely, -'_

It looked as though he'd been about to sign his name when he'd gotten distracted, and so he'd just dragged his pen across the page. So typical. So formal.

Sighing, she collapsed into the sofa, holding her head in her hands. Will was everything she'd ever wanted and everything she wanted to avoid, all in one. He was like a drug, something that hurt her so badly and yet she couldn't get away from.

And why was he the one on her mind all the time? Why not her boyfriend?

She took a cold shower and went to bed, unfamiliar smells all around her.

…

…

Blue's boyfriend did not return home that weekend, or the next. She spent hours upon hours in her empty house, pretending she was okay and doing anything not to think of Will and the gentle way he had with her.

She got a few texts during this time. Yellow asking for boy advice, once, and a drunken text from Gold, requesting that she and Silver help him build a boat. Boy advice? Well, that was simple; stay away from them. She didn't reply to Gold.

Will never texted, though. He always made sure to call.

He did that on the third Tuesday. "Hey," he said, the connection crackling. "Do you want to come train for a bit this week?"

She didn't reply for a while, because replying would mean that she'd lost the battle with her own will.

Then again, maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.

"Sure," she said, faux-cheerily. "I'll be there in a bit." She scribbled a note (yet another lie, easily created) and left her house locked and empty. And not once did she look back.

She had a boyfriend, that was true. But until he gave her the love and affection she needed / wanted / deserved, she would make up all the lies in the world.

Meanwhile, Will would have to suffice.

* * *

_**Author's Note**: Sorry for turning Blue into a cheater, but it was the only thing I could think to do with this pairing without doing exactly the same thing as other people. Hope you enjoyed it, regardless?_

_Note that I didn't mention who Blue's boyfriend actually was. That's for your imagination!_

_Also, not sure why Karen's in this. By the time I figured out she wasn't going to be helpful and important to the mini-plot of the story, it was already too late and I didn't want to bother trying to replace her or whatever._

_Anyway, I would like to remind my readers not to take any of these pairings too seriously. The point of this is to see possibilities, not conflicts. Yeah. Just thought I'd throw that out there, and encourage everyone once more to enter my contest with a pairing you've never written before._


	29. FranticShipping: It's Complicated

_**Author's Note: **As a fourth of July special, I was going to write a FranticShipping chapter about fireworks. I'd actually been planning this chapter for months, just because of a dream I had._

_…and then I decided that was too cliché. Besides, how exactly do you describe fireworks without purple prose?_

_So instead I got this concept._

_Presenting the Dex holders' vacation to Unova as seen on Ruby's Facebook wall. Enjoy._

_Inspired partly by MadlyMayora's 'PokeBook', although that won't make sense if you haven't read Hitoshura-ha's 'a sugary demise'._

* * *

**It's Complicated**

_"But don't get the wrong idea! This doesn't mean I like you or anything."_

* * *

**Ruby** it's my birthday! :D  
_July 2 at 12:01am _· Like · Comment  
+ 16 people like this.

_View all 18 comments.  
_

-**Yellow** happy birthday!  
-**Wally **happy birthday

* * *

**Crystal** Happy birthday! :)  
_July 2 at 4:18am _· Like · Comment  
+ 2 people like this.

-**Ruby **thanks! why are you awake?  
-**Crystal **Research paper.  
-**Gold** Super Serious Girl! Go to sleep. Happy birthday pissy boy  
-**Gold ***prissy  
-**Gold **and I mean that in the nicest way possible

* * *

**Red** hbd  
_July 2 at 9:32am _· Like · Comment

-**Ruby** …what?  
-**Red** it means happy birthday

* * *

**Blue** happy birthday dear! :3 Love ya, I've got your gift.  
_July 2 at 11:12am _· Like · Comment  
+ **Ruby **and 1 other like this.

* * *

**Green** Have a very happy birthday.  
_July 2 at 12:37pm _· Like · Comment

-**Blue** why you so boring Greeeen? :c  
-**Green** I'm not boring. Please use correct grammar.  
-**Silver** Green, be nice to Blue.  
-**Green **…

* * *

**Pearl** HAPPY BIRTHDAY SENIOR!11!1 And Dia and Platina agree._  
July 2 at 1:46pm _· Like· Comment

* * *

**Wallace** Happy birthday, dearest protégé! Your talent is astounding. Have a wonderful day!  
_July 2 at 1:53pm _· Like · Comment  
+ **Ruby **likes this.

-**Ruby** Thank you, master!

* * *

**View All 57 Posts**

* * *

**Ruby **and **Sapphire **are now friends. · Like · Comment  
+ 10 people like this.

-**Ruby **Sapph! when did you get a fb account?  
-**Sapphire** just now its your birthday present  
-**Sapphire** how do i use the symbol keys  
-**Green** Sapphire, you have to hold down 'shift' to get the symbols.  
-**Sapphire** thanks senior! i think i have it now.

* * *

**Sapphire** but don't get the wrong idea! this doesn't mean i like you or anything.  
_July 2 at 11:53pm _· Like · Comment  
+ **Ruby** and 3 others like this.

-**Gold** well, if you don't like him… ;)  
-**Crystal** Gold, stop being a perv and go to sleep. · _3 people like this._

* * *

**Gold **invited **Ruby** and 6 others to the event "GUYS' NIGHT OUT!"  
Friday, July 25 at 6:00pm  
RSVP: _Yes _· _Maybe _· _No  
_+ **Ruby **and 4 others like this.

-**Ruby** so you're admitting I'm a guy.  
-**Gold** if you say so haha  
-**Emerald** Why not sooner?  
-**Gold **well… I need time to buy all the fireworks and things… · _2 people like this._  
-**Green **Fine, I'll go. It sounds like a bad idea, though…

* * *

**Ruby **Going to Unova for the fourth with my twelve best buds, **Red**, **Blue**, and 10 others! Birthday present from my dad. :)  
_July 3 at 10:41am _· Like · Comment  
+ **Ruby **and 12 others like this.

-**Pearl** WOO! UNOVA!  
-**Yellow** that sounds like so much fun!  
-**Green** How are we getting there?  
-**Ruby** taking the Pokemon Association's jet. :D· **_Red_**_ likes this.  
_-**Gold** HELL YEAH!

* * *

**Platinum Berlitz** I am currently on the Pokemon Association's jet on our way to Unova, along with **Red**, **Crystal**, **Ruby**, and 9 others. We are due to arrive later this afternoon.  
_July 4 at 10:48am _· Like · Comment  
+ 3 people like this.

* * *

**Ruby **changed his profile picture.

-**Sapphire** why are you making that pose?  
-**Ruby** I'm not making a pose. that's just how I sit naturally  
-**Sapphire **whatever  
-**Sapphire** also you can see Red drooling in the background

* * *

**Ruby **changed his profile picture.

* * *

**Blue **has poked you.  
You have poked **Blue**.  
**Blue **has poked you.  
You have poked **Blue.  
Blue **has poked you.  
You have poked **Blue.  
Blue** has poked you.

* * *

You wrote 'quit poking me!' on **Blue**'s Wall.  
_July 3 at 9:25pm _· Like · Comment

-**Blue **but I'm BOOORREEDDDDD… ~

* * *

**Sapphire** what are we all doing tonight?  
_July 4 at 11:52am _· Like · Comment

-**Ruby** eating dinner with the Unova dex holders, then Nibasa City  
-**Sapphire** what's in Nibasa?  
-**Green** *Nimbasa  
-**Green **There's a ferris wheel. Also, there's going to be a fireworks show to celebrate the national holiday.  
-**Blue** IM SO BORRREEDDD  
-**Yellow **Blue I'll play cards with you… · **_Blue_**_ likes this._

* * *

**Ruby **is now friends with **Black**, **Bianca**, **Cheren**, and 1 other. · Like · Comment  
+ 3 people like this.

-**Bianca** nice to meet you guys! I can't wait until we get to know you more. :)  
-**Crystal** Nice to meet you too! I'm looking forward to the festivities.  
-**Black** aw, it'll be GREAT! The fireworks are always amazing!

* * *

**Ruby **is at Lonestar Café with **Sapphire** and fifteen others.  
_July 4 at 6:26pm _· Like · Comment

* * *

**Blue** hey I'm getting a bunch of people to go to the ferris wheel for the fireworks show. Wanna come? **Sapphire**  
_July 4 at 8:19pm _· Like · Comment

-**Ruby** sure  
-**Sapphire **how did i receive this message?  
-**Blue **I tagged you in the post, sweety! :3  
-**Sapphire** okay, I'll go…

* * *

**Ruby** fireworks show in ten minutes  
_July 4 at 9:49pm _· Like · Comment  
+ 9 people like this.

-**Sapphire** should we get in the ferris wheel?  
-**Ruby** yeah let's go!

* * *

**Gold** has sent you a private message.  
Subject: Seating arrangements ;D  
_July 4 at 9:51pm _· Reply · Report

Dude you seeing Sapph or what?

...

**You  
**_July 4 at 9:52pm _· Reply · Report

No, she'd kill me. Also, why do you care?

...

**Gold  
**_July 4 at 9:53pm _· Reply · Report

Grow a pair, she totally digs ya. If not, Im going for it

...

**You  
**_July 4 at 9:54pm _· Reply · Report

You're a dick.

...

**Gold**_  
July 4 at 9:55pm _· Reply · Report

So you gonna do something?

...

**Gold**_  
July 4 at 9:55pm _· Reply · Report

You there?

* * *

**Ruby **was tagged in **Gold's **photo.  
_July 4 at 10:21pm via iPhone._

* * *

**Gold **guess who I just saw makin' out in the ferris wheel? **Ruby **and **Sapphire **of course!  
_July 4 at 10:21pm via iPhone _· Like · Comment

-**Crystal** GOLD! I'm going to confiscate your phone next time I see you.  
-**Gold** hehe… good luck with that

* * *

**Quiz: What kind of boyfriend/girlfriend are you looking for?**

_What type of date would be your perfect match? Take this quiz to find out!_

* * *

**1. What kinds of friends do you have?**  
[] Close friends!  
[x] They're all jerks to me  
[] None  
[] Distant acquaintances

**2. What is most important in a relationship?**  
[] Love  
[] Romance  
[x] Trust  
[] Sex ;D

**3. What would you do if you found your sweetheart cheating on you?**  
[] Panic; they don't love me any more!  
[] Slap a hoe  
[x] Move on  
[] Forgive and forget

**4. What's your hobby?**  
[x] Contests  
[] Battling  
[] Traveling  
[] Chillin'

**5. Pick a color?**  
[] Red  
[] Green  
[x] Blue  
[] Yellow

**6. What would you rather go without?**  
[] Love  
[x] Success  
[] Knowledge  
[] Friends

* * *

**Get Quiz Result!**

* * *

**Ruby **took the quiz '**What kind of boyfriend/girlfriend are you looking for?**' and got the following result: 'The trustworthy type!'

You need someone in your life that you can rely on! Your true love will be strong, sturdy, and trustworthy. Someone you can share all your secrets with. Since your friends aren't that close to you, this person can be both a best friend and your true love at the same time! Obviously a person like you has a lot of emotional issues so be careful not to dump all that on their shoulders, but you can manage that!

_July 5 at 11:31am _· Like · Comment  
+ **Gold **and **Blue **like this.

-**Gold** testing your boundaries?  
-**Ruby** dude shut up.

* * *

**Ruby** is in a relationship.  
_July 5 at 2:15pm _· Like · Comment

* * *

**Ruby **is in a relationship with **Sapphire** and it's complicated.  
_July 5 at 2:17pm _· Like · Comment  
+ 9 people like this.

-**Blue** I knew it! :D  
-**Emerald **finally.**  
**-**Yellow** so cute!**  
**-**Red **woah, completely unexpected but congrats  
-**Green **…Red, you're an idiot.  
-**Gold** haha wow what a noob  
-**Green** Gold, you too.

* * *

_**Author's note**: Finally done! I finished this at 4:06 am, and I've got surgery at two. Haha, I should take care of myself. (Don't worry, though! It's just thumb surgery.)_

_Another thing. A few more things, actually._

_First, the fifth was my eighteenth birthday! I spent it writing fanfiction for you guys. Your present to me can be in the form of a wonderful review. Or you can check out my recently updated story 'Trailblazer', which I just took off hiatus._

_Second, I'll be participating in the Pokemon Big Bang, which is a three-month writing thing starting on July 16. Since that'll be another chapter story on my plate, this probably will go on the back burner after a little while, and I'm considering just putting it on hold for a semester starting in August. Sorry, but real life comes first, and studying counts as real life. Once my writing schedule clears up, I'll be sure to start writing for it once more._

_Third, I love y'all! Just saying. If I didn't, I wouldn't have spent my birthday coming up with three new stories for my readers. So review! It's the least you can do for my time. _


	30. FatherlyShipping: Rose by Any Other Name

_**Author's Note**: This was going to be the FeelingShipping chapter. And then I had a much better idea. So, Feeling will be in a few chapters, and instead we have FatherlyShipping! For those who don't know, that is Falkner and Janine._

_Who requested this again? Someone did. Whatever._

_Sorry if you don't like this pairing. I know that a lot of people ship these two with several other people. But hey, if you'd rather see something more to your taste, maybe you should request it, eh?_

_It's not what I expected to write, I will say that. But then, if you're reading this, do you ever get what you expected from your requests?_

_AU, I suppose, set in a world where there are no Gym leaders, and so they all have… other jobs. Actually, in this case, one specific other job. Also, beware of heavy material, some cursing, and some violence. And a reminder that this is Specialverse, meaning that Koga is/was a member of Team Rocket._

_It's relevant._

* * *

**A Rose by Any Other Name**

"_She has many names (Anju, Janine, Koga's girl), but so does he."_

* * *

It's three o'clock in the afternoon on a Sunday, and the only people left in the bar are those who can't afford to be hungover, so they stay drunk for days at a time. Falkner knows this type of person all too well; too often, they're the type he sees in the morgue.

He walks into this bar and carefully slides into the seat. No alcohol for him; he has to stay on his toes. He does, however, order a hamburger with fries, two waters, and a plate of sushi. When the food arrives a few minutes later, he hurriedly eats the hamburger. The sushi is left untouched.

He frowns, as if only just then noticing the absence across the table, and checks his phone. No texts, no missed calls. This is peculiar, because Anju is a prompt lady on the best of days and a double-dealing card on the worst.

At this thought, Falkner slides the phone back into his pocket and checks the safety on his police-issued pistol.

Fortunately for them both, she slides into the bar less than two minutes after that. Falkner briefly admires the way she walks, like she owns the place, and that fine body, before shaking himself out of it and standing up. He is all business, like normal, but he shakes her hand and smiles and greets her by her American name.

Janine.

She sits carefully in the booth, glancing carefully at it as though expecting a trap. Sensing her discomfort, Falkner takes a piece of sushi, and even though he hates the flavor of raw fish, he downs it in one bite. "Go on, eat up. I didn't pay for this for decoration."

She doesn't smile. Instead, she narrows her eyes the slightest bit. "You really didn't have to, Falkner. I have enough money to take care of myself. I can take care of myself."

He frowns, noting the repeated line. Then he disregards it, because it's not his job to look after her mental health. It's his job to cut a deal.

"Anju…" he hesitates, wondering if he should use Anju or Janine. After all, she's known on the streets as Anju, but Janine is the name she told him the first time they'd met. Then again, 'Anju' is in all the police files –

"Call me Janine." Falkner looks up, startled, then smiles uneasily. She's good at reading people, unlike him, which gives her an upper hand.

He says, "Alright then. Janine." He breathes in deep and lets out a sigh. "You know why we're here. We have to work this out." He attempts to look stern.

His attempt must have failed, though, because she giggles insufferably. She wipes a small tear and says, "With your hair, you really should stick to playing good cop."

At this point, Falkner can't help but smile either. "Alright then. I'm good cop. If we can cut a deal, then I don't have to arrest you." He's pretty sure he can't arrest her either way. After all, she moves like lightning, thanks to her upbringing.

If her lips have anything to say about it, she knows that he can't do it, too. She lets it go, though, and merely replies, "What do you propose?"

"You work for me as a source of information. Nothing more, nothing less. You probably already know what I'm trying to investigate?"

She shrugs. "I can never be too sure. Is it that redheaded boy that I helped through the Saffron City checkpoint a couple weeks ago?"

"No." Falkner meets her eyes. She's taking this as a joke, but he's never looked more serious during any one of their conversations. "You _know_ what I'm looking for."

She folds her arms across her chest. "No."

"Why not?" he pleads.

"I'm not going to betray my father," she says, standing abruptly. The sushi is only half-eaten, but she walks to the door with her pride on her sleeve.

Falkner leaves a couple of bills on the table and follows her out into the night. She's already made it halfway down the street by the time he catches up, but he doesn't dare grab her or yell at her. "Janine," he says softly. "Work with me. I'm trying to help you get out of this shithole."

She looks back at him, eyes hooded, but even a dolt like Falkner can tell that she's sad about something.

"You know, it's because of my father that I became a cop," he reveals suddenly, for no good reason.

Janine glances at him sideways, like a shy Pidgeotto protecting her young. "You know, it's because of _my_ father that I'm a criminal."

Criminal and cop.

Not so different, Falkner decides as he sits in his squad car hours later.

…

…

Two weeks later, Falkner checks his cell phone to see three missed calls and one text message from an unidentifiable number.

It reads "I'm in."

He grins and takes the rest of the day off.

…

…

She has many names (Anju, Janine, Koga's girl), but so does he. They meet in a run-down motel. He has the room reserved under the name 'Hyatt'. She's calling herself Jane, just Jane.

Falkner gets there first, as usual, and waits on the bed with the lights out and his fingers crossed. His partner Whitney had told him to bring his revolver and keep it loaded, even though he trusted Janine. After all, Whitney didn't trust Janine, or anyone else.

Janine taps hard on the door three times. Falkner watches her body language through the peep hole before opening the door a crack and letting her slip through.

She wears a thick magenta scarf today. It covers her mouth and her hair. Right now, she looks in her element. Right now, she looks like the ninja she was raised to become.

"Good to see you're well," Falkner says nonchalantly. She turns away and makes sure that all the blinds are closed and that there are no wire taps anywhere. Apparently, the place passes her test and she sinks onto the bed.

"I brought the data," she says, pulling out an old-fashioned notebook.

Falkner gazes ruefully at his laptop (the latest version) and holds out his hand. "May I?" he asks, and Janine nods, handing the notebook over. The handwriting is barely legible, but it's better that way, since that means it's less likely that one of the bad guys has also read this.

Scrawled in large letters at the top are the words 'Team Rocket'.

Just below that are all the entry codes to their bases. Falkner can make out the words 'Slowpoketail' and 'Raticatetail'.

"This is… this is excellent," he says quietly, flipping through the pages. It's all there, everything he needs to finish his investigation and take Team Rocket down. "How did you manage to get all this information?"

"I have my ways."

Silence.

"When can we meet again?" Falkner persists. "I would like to keep you somewhat aware of the investigation, even if it's just to warn you to stay out of the way."

Falkner knows this is a very stupid move for him to make, and yet he can't help but make it. He trusts Janine too well. She knows this also, and a small smile adorns her lips. "I believe it's best if we don't meet again, _Investigator_," she teases. "I'll be just fine."

She makes for the door, but then she hesitates and turns back. "What is i-" Falkner starts to say, but before he can finish, she grabs him by the tie and pulls him to her level and kisses him hard on the lips, before leaving without another word.

Later, when Whitney sees the loopy grin on his face, she demands that he be tested for every kind of poison there is. It _is_ Anju's specialty, after all.

…

…

Almost a month later, Janine is only a thought at the back of Falkner's mind. His days are spent analyzing data of all sorts (financial, forensic, statistical) and his nights are spent under heavy guard. Since, you know, Whitney's always been a bit paranoid, and she still thinks that Janine was playing both sides.

Finally, he's done. The plans are set, the stakeout location is secure, the SWAT team is prepared.

On the day of the mission, he suits up in bulletproof clothing and his best shoes. Whitney is in charge of the heavy weaponry (she's got a bazooka for this mission) so all he has to worry about is the little assigned pistol he's had for a while now, and he hasn't had to use it in a few months.

"Are you coming?" Whitney yells into the men's locker room, and Morty chuckles nearby. Falkner shoots him a look and yells back, "Yes. Give me one minute."

"You two are like an old married couple," Morty comments, securing the Pokeballs to his belt.

Falkner stops what he's doing and hisses back, "We are – _not_ – like an old married couple." He takes a breath. "Besides, I'm not even attracted to her."

"Who, then?" Morty asks, smiling like always. "Is it Jasmine? Because, hey, Volkner will kill you if it's Jasmine."

"No it's not Jasmine," Falkner says. He struggles to envision anything besides dark silver eyes and burgundy lips. "It's no one here, actually."

"Whatever, man. We'd better move out." Morty finishes strapping on his gear, then walks toward the door. Falkner isn't far behind, and before long, he's driving recklessly (and wreck-lessly) toward Saffron City.

…

…

They're very secretive about their presence in Saffron City, right next to the Rocket-owned Silph Co.

That is, until Whitney gets a bit trigger-happy and shoots the bazooka straight into the side of the twelve-story building.

"Dammit, Whitney! You weren't supposed to do that." Falkner runs around the squad car, watching in horror as glass and smoke spew from the shot. Whitney just glances at him with a smile that says 'sorry but I'm not sorry' and pulls out her other weapon for the day, a railgun.

Even at this distance, Falkner can see the alarms go off inside the building. He can see the running men. He can see a tall suited man standing at the gaping hole in the belly of the building.

That's his target, he realizes. That's Giovanni.

Falkner is no assassin, but he certainly is a good shot. Crouching behind the car, he takes aim and fires one, two, three shots, accounting for gravity. Giovanni sees his move, though, and steps back. One, two, three shots just barely miss their target.

"Dammit." Falkner crawls to the hood of the car, where Whitney sits and shoots her railgun and laughs with each empty shell. "Whitney! I've got to get inside there."

"Are you mad?" she yells, hitting two more Rockets even as she speaks.

"Yes!" he yells back, peeking over the car door and shooting a man in the side of the head. "But I have to get Giovanni, and he's in there!"

She glances once at him, then hands him a Pokeball. "Girafarig will take you."

Falkner stares at the ball in his hands. "I thought you only liked cute normal-types."

"It is a normal-type!" She glares at him. "Don't question me!"

He sends the giraffe Pokemon out and clings to its neck. "Teleport," he tells it, feeling a tingling in his feet and hands.

As he disappears, he hears her speaking a last couple of words. "Make sure to watch out for that bitch Anju too…"

…

…

He reappears on the roof.

"Holy fu-" he starts to say, but stops himself in time. Silently recalling the psychic Pokemon, he sends out a more familiar one, his Pidgeotto. The bird rests silently on his shoulder, claws carefully resting on his collarbone and ribcage. "Right, let's do this," Falkner says, turning toward the stairwell.

Before he can get there, though, the hatch opens. He tenses, both hand on the revolver, when he sees that black ponytail and dark eyes…

"_Janine_. What are you doing here?" Falkner says flatly. He doesn't like the way his pistol is pointed at her, but he can't help it, since he has no idea whether he can trust her or not.

"Put the gun down, I'm here to help." He lowers it, but he keeps a keen finger on the trigger. "Giovanni's trying to flee, but he has many guards with him. My father included." She huffs, trying to cover up a nervous twitch in her own hands. "If you can separate him from the guards, I can take care of him for you."

"I thought we weren't seeing each other any more?" he says, disregarding the statement.

She sighs, her breath jumping in her throat. "We're not." She thrusts a thumb over her shoulder toward the stairwell. "Let's –"

But it's too late. Because the hatch is already opening and _there is Giovanni_ and _there is Koga_ and Koga looks even more frightening than the Team Rocket boss. Koga looks capable of tearing Falkner limb for limb with his bare hands.

And Falkner lifts one hand in a half-hearted wave. "Hello?"

Koga ignores him, turning to his daughter. "Janine. You have betrayed me. Why have you betrayed me?"

She doesn't answer. She doesn't lash out in bitter retaliation. She just stands there and stares at the ground.

"Answer me!" he yells, and Falkner can already tell that he's going to walk across the distance between himself and his daughter and smack her across the face. And he can't stop himself from raising that loaded gun and pulling that trigger and _oh my god_ there's too much blood for just one man.

Giovanni sees this and impassively turns his head toward the policeman. "Hmm, a formidable foe. Perhaps our next encounter will involve a more direct attempt upon my life…" A black helicopter hovers overhead, the ladder dangling toward the roof. "I take my leave… Come, Janine."

She folds her arms over her chest. "No."

"Are you sure? You could take your father's place as my loyal defender."

Falkner inhales sharply. Janine remains silent, glaring at her former boss. Koga bleeds at her feet.

"As you wish," says the Rocket boss. He pulls out his own pistol, and before Falkner or Janine can move, he shoots her in the stomach. Then he reaches up and grabs the helicopter ladder. All five of Falkner's bullets miss.

Then he drops his gun and runs to Janine, who is feebly trying to stop the bleeding. He kisses her, even though he can taste blood in her mouth, and then he tries to stop the bleeding too.

"I… I…" He can barely hear her voice, and he leans so close that he can actually feel her breath on his ear. "I… hate… you…"

And she doesn't breathe any more after that.

He sits there for a little while, just thinking, before he decides that perhaps he'd better go check in with Whitney and the others. Pidgeotto clutches his shoulder blades tightly, and it takes all his willpower not to recall his Pokemon and tumble to the ground.

…

…

"All's well that ends well, right?" Morty asks him later, elbowing him in the side. Falkner can tell that he's just trying to cheer him up, but not even the beer in his hand can do that.

"But all's _not_ well," he rationalizes for his friend. "Giovanni got away. And I lost… a valuable source of information…"

The funerals had been held the day before. Since many of the attendees were members of Team Rocket, Falkner had attended in disguise. He'd even trimmed his hair a good amount, just in case anyone remembered more than just his police outfit.

Morty shrugs off the comment and the reference. Apparently, Whitney has not told him about Janine. "Ah, come on, cheer up. Death's just another name for sleep." He grins widely. "Have I ever told you about my ability to see ghosts?"

Morty had told everyone about his ability to see ghosts. "No, you haven't," Falkner says wearily.

The blond man grins even wider. "Well, you see…"

Falkner tunes out the story and stares out the window. The city lights block out the stars tonight, but he doesn't care. He will recover eventually. But until then, he'd rather not be reminded of dark, twinkling eyes or hair as black as night.


	31. RockSmashShipping: Escape Rope

_**Author's Note**: First off, contest! Enter it. I've extended the deadline by a few more days, mostly because it's taken me so long to post this chapter and remind you about the contest. So now it ends on the 14th! If you haven't submitted your entry to me by the time I get home from church this Sunday morning (so, about noon), you're late._

_Second off, poll! The results are… Volkner and Cynthia! That chapter will be next. You can see my profile for detailed results._

_Now it's RockSmashShipping, which is one of my newfound favorites. Roxanne and Brawley! One of my favorite authors, manhattan martini, has some stuff for them. So here's my take on it!_

_Not AU. Wait… yeah, it sort of is. You can ignore the fact that a lot of characters aren't where they're supposed to be. Or the right ages. Yeah._

* * *

**Escape Rope**

_"And despite her insistence on finishing the project, Roxanne couldn't help but notice the butterflies in her stomach."_

* * *

To Roxanne, graduation brought relief and solitude. She didn't care much for the others her age, and so once she no longer had to spend time daily with them, she never intended to see them again.

Brawly was the exception, of course. He forced himself into her life, pestering her daily on her phone (she never answered) and walking to her house every Saturday afternoon (she avoided the windows).

She had long accepted this practical joke. He found it quite amusing to ask her out every so often as a running prank. Once upon a time, she'd experience emotional whip lash, dancing back and forth between hope and despair and longing. These days, she just laughed it off.

After all, she now had the confidence to just accept that the handsome, smart, popular Brawly would never date a nerdy, ugly girl like her.

Some days that summer, Brawly made himself impossible to avoid. In such times, though, he didn't pry too much into her plans for the future - everyone knew that the valedictorian of Rustboro High School would be attending Celadon Academy next year on a full scholarship. Nor did he focus on the fact that she never visited anyone, never used her cell phone to make calls, never spent time relaxing, even during the break.

"If you could go back and do it again," he asked, gently propelling himself back and forth on the elementary school swing set, "would you?"

She hesitated, then shook her head. "No," she said firmly. "I would never return to high school. Not even if you paid me."

…

…

Roxanne now ponders these words. She is sitting behind her desk, having just taught a classroom full of tenth graders about irony.

She watches them carefully. Although she can see their pens scribbling across paper in dutiful silence, she also sees many other things. She can tell that the blonde girl in the fourth row is smitten, based on the lax stare to the ceiling and the doodles on the edges of her notebook. From the looks of it, the black-haired boy in the baseball cap is cheating off of the girl with pigtails next to him, and she looks like she's about to smack him. To top it all off, two boys in the back are muttering seriously together, the blond one's face lit up with inspiration.

Roxanne doesn't stop any of the misbehavior. As she has learned quickly, punishing the students only leads to more disobedience. Despite her strict tendencies, she's managed to avoid inciting a riot. Unlike last year.

The bell on the wall rings, and all the kids flip over their papers. "Just leave the essays on your desks," Roxanne shouts over the sudden burst of noise. "I'll pick them up." She stays seated until everyone has gathered their things from the back of the classroom and walked through the door.

As she paces the empty rows, picking up sheets of notebook paper, she realizes that a presence is walking just a few steps behind her. Turning, she sees that it is the blond girl with the ponytail. Roxanne hesitates, then asks, "Can I help you?"

The girl shakes her head, but her eyes droop a little on the edges. "Um… well, I had a question."

"Was it something from the lecture? My tutorial hours are posted on the-"

"No, it wasn't the lecture," the girl says. "It's something else. I just don't know who to talk to about it…"

…

…

The girl tells a familiar story.

Most girls in Roxanne's high school class spent hours each morning brushing on a thick layer of foundation, sticking fake eyelashes over dark eye shadow, and spraying half a canister of hair spray into 80's style bobs. Roxanne took pride in her ability to roll out of bed, throw on her uniform, and ride her bike to school about ten minutes before the late bell. As far as makeup went, Roxanne preferred the 'natural' style. Or, as most girls thought of it, the 'naked' style.

In a world where style was priority and reputation was everything, Roxanne didn't give a crap what anyone thought about her. Her type-A personality and ambitions for the future wouldn't let her think about anything other than how to get the best grade in the class. Even during her senior year, she studied nightly, sat in the front row of every class, and refused to help others who needed help with something (since that would only give them a GPA boost).

Also, she hated group projects. Mostly because she would always get stuck doing all the work.

…

…

The little blond girl in Roxanne's classroom talks about how she may not be the smartest girl around, she does have artistic talent, and that's where the problem is. "It's not a problem. I don't _mind_ making our entire poster, but my group is making it really difficult…"

Two weeks ago, Roxanne assigned her class a major project, involving assigned group work. Each group is supposed to represent the themes from the book "The Count of Monte Pyre" using at least three different mediums, as well as a presentation. Understandably, no one had been enthusiastic about it. But until hearing this girl's dilemma, Roxanne has been unabashed by her choice of assignment.

"Do you want me to split up your group?" Roxanne asks. "I don't know what else you would have me do."

"No, no!" the girl says quickly, waving her hands in front of her. "I don't want that. I just want to be reassured that my grade won't suffer because Bl- I mean, because some people in my group don't do their work."

Roxanne, relieved, nods. "Yes, of course I can make sure of that. Will you write down the names of those who are in your group?"

The blond girl nods, her ponytail swishing through the air as she scribbles a few names onto a sheet of notebook paper. Then she smiles and hurries out the door, no doubt to get to seventh period.

Roxanne stares at the sheet of paper. Four names. Then she sighs in realization when she sees the first name on the paper. "Of course. No wonder she's having such a hard time getting stuff done…"

…

…

Roxanne didn't like her eleventh grade history class much. Since there were no advanced options for more intelligent students, she ended up in the same class with the jocks, the cheerleaders, and the idiots.

Not, by any means, ideal.

To make matters worse, the teacher would pick groups based on the row in which you sat. Since the rows were alphabetical, there was absolutely no choice or anything of the sort involved.

And everyone, not just Roxanne, hated it.

"Your major project this month is to write a research paper over a major historical event!" announced the teacher. Roxanne perked up, since writing had always been a talent of hers. "Each member of your group…"

…and there went that momentary high. A group _research paper_? That was only a recipe for disaster. She wondered why exactly teachers kept assigning group projects when, clearly, none of their students enjoyed them. (Later, she learns that this is because most teachers don't care enough to think of something new and original.)

Fast forward to after school in the library, where she sat behind the computer screen, typing away. A pile of books a foot high sat on the table next to her.

"Need any help?" Brawly asked, lounging on the stool nearby. Of the group of six, he was the only person to show up (besides Roxanne, of course). Everyone else had an excuse; Tabitha had football practice, Shelly was working on a dance routine with her friend Courtney, and Flannery had a date (she wouldn't say who, but the entire school knew it was Steven Stone, the richest kid in school).

Winona did have a fair reason; apparently, her grandfather in Fortree City had some old artifacts from the Great Civil War, so she was busy making the trip to fetch them. Roxanne would have to remember to thank her for being the only other semi-intelligent person in the group.

But for now, she was stuck with Brawly. Lazy, athletic Brawly, who could have easily been quarterback instead of Tabitha but preferred to spend his Friday nights surfing. Stupid, silly Brawly, who would rather try to make her laugh then get the stupid project done.

Now, however, he could tell that she was in a bad mood. Not a good time to joke around.

"No, I'm fine", she snapped, resting her head in both hands. "It's just… all these articles don't add up. I mean, I read one that says that this guy named 'Dennis' was the leader of the rebels, and another naming this guy 'Surge'… Ugh!"

Brawly tapped his finger on his leg absentmindedly. "Well, maybe they were both subleaders or something. Perhaps 'leader' was more like lieutenant, and there was a guy further up that commanded them both?"

She glanced at him sideways, stunned by the sudden display of insight. "Did you think of that all by yourself?" she asked seriously, then winced when she realized just how terrible that sounded. "Sorry, I –"

"I understand. You're tired and you need a break!" Brawly grinned fiendishly, and before Roxanne could react, he'd jumped to his feet and picked her up, all in one move. Then, as in retrospect, he carefully set her on the floor. "Do you want to go on a date with me? Right now?"

Despite herself, Roxanne chuckled slightly. "Only if you're paying." Then her hands flew to her hips as she tried to look strict. "And _only if we plan on coming back later to finish this._"

"Alright, alright," Brawly laughed, picking up the stack of books under one arm and carrying them back to the shelves. And despite her insistence on finishing the project, Roxanne couldn't help but notice the butterflies in her stomach.

…

…

Roxanne's English class presents its projects after two weeks. She can tell which members of the groups worked hard, which members did nothing at all, and which ones tried to help but didn't know how. Unless someone complains in writing, she gives everyone in the groups the same grade. After all, that's how life works, so they'd better learn fast.

The blond girl's group actually does a good job. From the list of people that she had handed Roxanne, the teacher had guessed that the only things that would be done properly were the research and the artwork. However, the acting portion included brilliant banter, and the song that one of them had written was sung beautifully.

Roxanne smiles as she circles the letter 'A' at the top of the rubric.

Halfway through the next presentation, the phone rings. Not the classroom phone, but Roxanne's cell phone. Blushing, she picks it up to turn it off – and hesitates when she sees the name lit up in florescent blue.

"Okay, this is important," she tells the class. "I'll be back in a moment." As the door clicks shut behind her, she answers the call.

"Brawly, I told you not to call me in the middle of class!" she says vehemently. "Now my students will think-"

"-that you have a life outside of school? Live a little, Roxanne."

"…this better be important."

"Oh, it _is_ important," Brawly drawls, and then adopts a familiar accent. "'This is official league business!'"

Roxanne rolls her eyes. "Don't make fun of Winona. Just because she's got a more important job than either one of us-"

Brawly replies lazily, "Yeah, well, she ought to relax a little, too. Speaking of which…" She can picture the lopsided smile on his sunburned lips. "Go out with me this weekend? We can go rock-climbing in Granite Cave."

"For your information, you uneducated slacker, that would be called _spelunking_. And no, I can't." Roxanne hesitates, then adds, "We have a meeting with the Pokemon League this weekend."

They both burst out laughing at the same time.

By the time she's off the phone, the class is nearly over, and she hurriedly makes sure her ringer is actually off this time before returning to her desk. Business as usual until the end of the period.

She will never know for sure, but that knowing smirk on the backwards-baseball-cap boy's face tells Roxanne that perhaps he'd been listening at the door. She makes a note to give him detention next time he puts so much as a _toe_ out of line.

…

…

They'd gone rock-climbing before. Not together, and not on purpose.

Roxanne's tenth-grade geology class included a mandatory field trip. The objective? To capture and study a localized Pokemon from anywhere in the region.

While Roxanne didn't exactly _want_ to exploit a local Pokemon, the teacher did tell the class that they could keep whatever Pokemon they caught. Relieved, the girl had set off immediately for the one geological formation in the region that interested her – Granite Cave.

She wasn't the _only _person there, of course; Steven Stone was busy searching for an Aron, and there were other people there as well. She didn't bother going along with any of their searches. After all, she planned on finding the rarest, most interesting Pokemon that cave had to offer.

Oh, she found it. But not in the manner she expected.

After several hours of climbing the dubious rope ladders and feeling her way along the cave walls in the dark, Roxanne reached the innermost portion of the cave. She knew this because she could barely see her hands in front of her face, and she could only hear the chattering of thousands of Mawile somewhere in the distance.

And suddenly, it struck her that maybe this whole thing wasn't such a good idea.

"Is anyone out there?" she yelled, giving up on her mission. She would just catch a Geodude and be done with it. All she cared about was getting out of this thing alive.

She didn't hear a response for several minutes, until – "Roxanne, is that you?"

She knew who it was, despite the utter darkness and the blood rushing through her ears. "Brawly, how did you find me?" she asked, stumbling precariously towards his voice.

"I grew up h – _ow!_"

"Are you okay?"

"Something attacked me!"

Roxanne turned slightly. She saw a dark figure rushing toward her, and then solid rock hit her shins, sending her keeling backwards. "Ouch!"

"Hold on, I got this," she heard him say. "Makuhita, use Force Palm!"

A chubby fighting type waddled past her and struck the mystery Pokemon. It bellowed in pain, and she was numbly aware of the fact that she had never seen nor heard a Pokemon like this.

"Catch it!" Brawly said excitedly.

So she caught the Nosepass. And they made it out alive, if only thanks to Brawly's keen sense of direction and his arm thrown protectively around her shoulders.

…

…

Roxanne decides that the cafeteria during lunch is a lot like a Pokemon battle. She bases this observation over the kids pushing each other just to get their food a little sooner, as well as the fact that no teacher in the entire school ever wanted lunch duty.

"Don't hit each other!" she yells at a petite brunette girl who looks like she's about to murder a boy in a white cap. It doesn't help, of course, and she sighs in resignation.

At that moment, the cell phone in her pocket vibrates, and she covertly glances around before pulling the little device out and look at the screen. One new text message. She knows who sent it before she even opens her phone.

_"So since we can't go out this weekend, wanna come to Dewford tonight? I have a surprise."_

She sighs and rolls her eyes skyward. This isn't a game she wants to play anymore. She has no doubt that Brawly is just messing with her. She's just… just some girl he knows. He probably has ten or twenty more over in Dewford, just waiting for him to…

She shakes that thought out of her head. Bad, bad.

Roxanne quickly sends a message back. _"Cut it out. I think we're a little too old for that joke."_

She gets distracted then, mostly because some red-headed guy just hit the baseball-cap kid (she deciphers something like 'Don't touch her with your filthy hands'), and by the time she gets a chance to check her messages again, lunch is over and she sinks into the cafeteria table to read the response.

And her heart nearly stops, because it's everything she dreaded and everything she wanted all those years before.

_"It's not a joke. It's not a game. It never was."_

…

…

Roxanne met Brawly in ninth grade during lunch. She was eating a yogurt and reading a tome of old Kantoan literature.

"What is that, Roxanne? The dictionary?" Shelly was walking by with a tray across her forearms and Tabitha's arm around her waist. She wore a miniskirt and a shirt that plainly exposed her naval. Roxanne took all this in with disapproving eyes.

"No, but it is a lot more interesting than your life," Roxanne retorted. It wasn't exactly the worst insult, but maybe that was for the better. After all, Shelly spread enough rumors about Roxanne (and Flannery, and anyone else who threatened her High Reign) as it was.

Shelly just laughed as she walked off, and Roxanne only glowered at her back.

"You know, she's jealous," a voice said, and Roxanne looked up to see a hunk of a guy, with suitably messy brown hair. She had seen him before… but wasn't he with _them_?

"You're her friend, aren't you?" she said bitterly, still staring at Shelly's perfectly voluminous locks.

The guy shook his head, still smiling.

"Well, what's your name, then?" she asked, looking at him impatiently. On second thought, he had the look of a popular guy, but… he seemed to be alone. Not to mention, just a little bit too aloof for the likes of Shelly and Courtney and other girls like that.

"Go out with me and I'll tell you."

_"What?"_ she exploded, eyes wide. "You're joking. You have got to be joking."

In the split second she blinked, Roxanne missed the look of pain as it crossed the guy's face. By the time she looked at him again, he had recovered. "Yeah, of course I was joking. It's Brawly, okay?" He stood up, but before he walked away, he added, "And I don't hang out with jocks. If you want to see me in my element, I'll take you surfing some time, alright?"

She never did take him up on that. Later, she comes to regret it.

…

…

Roxanne doesn't visit the beach that night, or the next night. She skips Winona's Pokemon Association meeting, since they aren't _that_ important.

She does, however, take Mr. Briney's ferry across the gulf the next weekend, and he's waiting there, a broad smile on his face like he was expecting her.

"What was it you wanted to show me?" she asks brusquely, ignoring the lodestone on both of their minds.

Brawly pointed to Granite Cave. The evening sun bounced off of it, making the entire area glow a dull pink color. "I thought you might like to see, since you love rocks so much. It only happens for about two weeks every couple of years, when the conditions are just…"

Brawly is still talking, but Roxanne is tuning him out. The cave is just too amazing. She doesn't need to know _why_ it's so amazing, not right now. She has library books for that.

They wordlessly wander down the beach to their Spot. This was the place where they rested after their scare in the caves all those years ago. Even though they haven't visited since, they both still recognize the spare grass and the little dune.

They're quiet for a while. Then Roxanne says, "I quit my job at the school."

When Roxanne had told Winona, her old friend had freaked out, questioning her decision in this economy, before Roxanne had finally just hung up the phone on her.

But Brawly just nods, taking it well into stride. "That place never was too good for you, anyway." He rolls over onto his side to meet her eye. "Besides, that gives you more time to enjoy life. I mean, what good is it to keep doing a job you don't enjoy?"

Still, worries peck at the back of her mind. "What am I going to do now, though? Being a Gym Leader doesn't give me enough money to work with, and I can't go work at Pendra Express or something like that…" She glances at Granite Cave.

Brawly shrugs. "You probably could get a job at Devon. You're smart enough. But does it really matter? Right now?"

She hesitates, biting her lip. For the first time in years, she feels like a kid again. "Did you… did you mean that? What you said?"

He doesn't pretend not to know what she's talking about. He nods without hesitation. "Of course. I've always meant that."

They kiss abruptly, like when two opposing forces meet, like when the pull of the ocean's tides tear away at the stone surface of the land.

And when it's over, she wails in terror. Roxanne is a girl who's never _not_ known where she will go in life… except maybe destiny is something fluid. Something that will change with her.

And this is the biggest change of all.

"You know what they say in graduation ceremonies," Brawly says, leaning over to kiss her forehead. "It's not the end, it's the beginning."

* * *

**_Author's Note_**_: EDIT: Thanks to katlag for pointing out the spacing errors. Blame my computer. I've fixed them.  
_

_Holy crap, guys. This story was about 3000 words. That's more than I've written all last month, I think._

_Also, what SpecialShipping? I don't know what you're talking about._

_I'm leaving for college on August 19. Unfortunately, I won't have nearly enough time for all the stories I'm working on, so I will be cutting back on the frequency of posting this story. Same goes for all the others. Until I've adjusted to the new lifestyle, I'm going to be very cautious about the use of my time. Sorry, that's just the way it is._

_Here are review responses!_

**_xXkatlagXx_**_: I'm glad you enjoyed it! And the kiss, yes, the kiss. Ah, sorry that you didn't appreciate the AlexandrianShipping; I needed someone to be protective toward Jasmine, and Volkner was the first person I thought of. And I love crazy!Whitney! However, Girafarig actually _is_ a normal type, in addition to being psychic. You can check Bulbapedia! And, yes, sad. Janine said "I hate you" to Falkner because he was essentially the reason that her father – and she – died. And because I didn't want a lovey-dovey ending. :b _

**_MOFZ19_**_: Thank ya! Heh, in the meanwhile, more adult stuff has happened. In the past week or so since I posted the FatherlyShipping, I've had to file a witness report at a crime scene and help pay for meals on family vacation. Being an adult sucks!_

**_pohkeemawn_**_: No need to apologize, I love long reviews! I'm glad you liked Amber and JadeCrystalline. Let me see… well, aside from the fact that I'm planning to write FeelingShipping in literally two chapters anyway, check out 'Summer of Lilacs', which is sad, one-sided FeelingShipping! And you want some WildSideShipping? Well, I'll see what I can do… :)_

**_volt tackle_**_: Thanks for your review! I'm glad you liked that chapter._


	32. ElectricEliteShipping: Sentinel

_**Author's Note**: EliteElectricShipping, or Volkner and Cynthia. Sorry it's so short; I needed to update, though, so here you go._

* * *

**Sentinel**

"_Cynthia was the strongest trainer he'd ever met."_

* * *

Before he fought Platina, there was Cynthia.

Despite their apparent ages, he's just a little older than Cynthia. He's also the more experienced trainer by years. By the time she got around to challenging the Elite Four, Volkner had already been there, done that, moved on.

And, oh yeah, he was bored. All the time.

Cynthia blazed through his Gym like cold steel and fire, reminding him of the two best friends he never saw anymore. Cynthia evaporated his boredom with laughter and obliterated his strongest team with the point of a finger.

Cynthia was the strongest trainer he'd ever met. That was enough reason to love a girl, right?

…

…

Later, when the Battleground was his only release and Flint his only friend, he sometimes sought out Cynthia at the little villa where she played the piano.

Sometimes, he just watched her make her music. Other times, she would glance up with that knowing smile and whisper, "I've been waiting for you."

He never won a battle against her. It didn't matter.

* * *

_**Author's Note**: Hehe, the story itself for this chapter is less than 200 words. Unfortunately, it's late and I need to sleep soon._

_This chapter, sadly, will mark the beginning of a hiatus from this story. I just started college, and there's quite a lot of homework associated with college. In addition, I will be writing the contest prizes and finishing my Big Bang entry. Until I have a little more free time, I'm putting this story (and my other chapter stories) on hold._


	33. FeralSoulShipping: Booster & the Snitch

_**Author's Note**: I'm finally back. Updates to this story won't be as frequent as they were in the past, but I'm back. And a lot has happened in the nearly two years since the last time I updated this story, but this isn't the place for that. Just a few announcements before I get started on the chapter itself, which, sadly, is rather brief._

_First, I'm nearly done with the prizes from my contest. You can find them on my profile. I'm hoping to write for those pairings again in the future, so check them out if you want!_

_Second, I joined two other fandoms. If you like Avatar: the Last Airbender or Fullmetal Alchemist, you might like some of the things that I've posted most recently. I've got a lot of stuff planned for the future. _

_Third, if you're on tumblr, you should check out my writing and personal blogs over there. You can find the links on my profile._

_Anyway, enjoy this update, and hopefully you'll hang around to see some even better stuff!_

* * *

**The Booster and the Snitch**

_"The only marks that Ruby will have to hide from anyone after this ordeal are the line of hickeys up and down his shoulder and neck."_

* * *

_001. fashion_

It starts with the shattering of glass and the rush of wind against his face and it takes mere seconds for him to stuff the merchandise under his jacket and hope no one notices. After all, they're all a bit distracted by the automobile that has just entered the department store, front tires still spinning, and really it's a miracle that no one was hurt. But the guy with red hair sees him and grabs him and starts running, because they're both in this thing together now, like it or not.

...

...

_002. space program_

Hiding out in the Science Center is one of the worst ideas Ruby has ever heard. High-end security, lots of mysterious and threatening technology; the other guy - Silver, he says his name is - says it doesn't matter. In fact, Ruby thinks he might have planned this in advance, since you wouldn't normally expect for a couple of stowaways to be handed pre-made lunches every day (by an attractive lady in a black dress at that).

...

...

_003. apocalypse_

By the time the police catch on, Silver has already figured out a plan, even if he won't share that plan with Ruby. After all, Ruby is the outsider - technically a hostage, even if he came along gratefully - and based on the looks that Silver gives him on a regular basis, he's not to be trusted. That theory doesn't explain the softened eyebrows, the slumped shoulders, the ginger kiss to the back of his hand.

...

...

_004. skype_

The authorities believe Silver when he brandishes a pistol and threatens to shoot Ruby if they attempt to arrest him. Never mind that Ruby is standing in the next room, howling with laughter. Never mind that the pistol is unloaded, the police only see Silver through a tiny cell phone camera, and the only marks that Ruby will have to hide from anyone after this ordeal are the line of hickeys up and down his shoulder and neck.

...

...

_005. hair_

Once they bust down the door, it's a piece of cake to apprehend a couple of teenage boys that take themselves too seriously. Especially when one is midway through grooming the other's hair. By the time they arrive at headquarters to share their own cozy little cell, Ruby has finished his styling job and has begun tending to Silver's nails; after all, they're way too short and stubby for his liking.

* * *

_**Author's Note**: It feels incredibly good to be back. Once again, I've written an absolute ton since the last time this was updated, and a lot of it is really excellent. Thanks for reading!_


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